


Crossing the Bridge of Dreams

by tuuli



Series: Heian series [1]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen, Heian Period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-11-25 08:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 91,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuuli/pseuds/tuuli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heian age fic about Sai's life. A son of a provincial governor, Sai has come to Heian-kyo to follow his dreams, but the life at the capital isn't in every respect what he would have imagined. At least he gains one unlikely friend and student, a fisherman's son.<br/>Prequel of The Untitled Heian Fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome! A couple of things before we begin... First of all, this fic is a prequel to my (Always and Forever) Untitled Heian Fic – but being a prequel it’s of course not necessary for you to have read that fic.
> 
> This fic is also my nano novel from last year – at the moment there's over 70,000 words of it. Lot’s of editing to do, and it's not yet finished... just so you know, this is going to be a long one. I’ll try to update pretty frequently, once a week or so – but as I said, there’s lot’s of editing to be done, so I promise nothing.
> 
> This first chapter’s pretty Hikaru-centric, but this fic is mainly about Sai’s life. Of course, Hikaru will be an important part of it. No romance of any kind in this one, at least not in these first 70k I’ve written (and most likely not in the rest either).
> 
>  
> 
> And, lastly... a fic that takes place in the Heian age isn't the easiest to write. I've done a bit of reading about the time period, but I'm still sure this fic is full of mistakes. It vexes me a little, but at the moment it can't be helped. So, keep that in mind and don't take everything I say for the absolute truth. Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to keep this as historically accurate as I can...

**Chapter 1**

“I see you’ve got a new go board.”

Two young men, not yet past twenty years old, were settling down on the floor next to the subject of the comment. The speaker reached out his hand and touched the shining, smooth surface with one finger. 

“It is beautiful,” he went on. “But what about the old one?”

“It was a rather annoying accident,” his companion replied, arranging his robes as he took a more comfortable position. “I was replaying some old games in the garden the other day – the weather was quite perfect, and it was such a lovely, quiet evening that I simply could not stay inside – but when the servant was carrying the board back inside, he stumbled and dropped it, and its corner cracked. So I had to throw it away.”

The other shook his head sadly. “It’s a shame… I liked that board. It might have been old, but it served us well – we played many a memorable game on it.” 

“Oh, Sai, memorable to you, maybe,” his companion replied with a laugh. “Maybe on this board I could for once win.”

Sai smiled. “Well, we could increase the handicap…”

“Oh, be quiet! I refuse to have any more stones, I’m already embarrassed. I am older than you, you know.”

“Come now, Nobunori-sama, age matters but little here. Beside, three years isn’t that much.”

“Three years are enough to embarrass me,” Nobunori stated with a snort while grasping a black stone placing it on the board. “Here I thought I was a good go player, but then you came along…”

“But you _are_ a good go player!” Sai protested, playing his opening move.

“Oh? And yet I never win against you. Say, if I’m good, then what are you?”

Sai just smiled and didn’t reply.

~

”Hikaru? What are you doing?” A young girl watched curiously as a boy of her age struggled down a street carrying something that looked like a big wooden box. “What is that thing?”

The boy grinned at her over the box. “You wouldn’t know, would you?” he just said, and the girl hissed in annoyance.

“You don’t have to be mean!” she exclaimed. She rushed after the boy as he entered the yard of a small mansion that had seen better days. The plants in the yard were growing wild, and the little pool in the middle of it was almost completely overgrown. There was hardly one wall that stood straight in the building itself, and one wing was partially collapsed. Still, one could see there was a light inside, a fire that shone warmly and invitingly into the cooling night of late autumn. 

“So what is it?” the girl asked stubbornly, walking by the boy’s side. “Come on, tell me! Tell me already, Hikaru!”

“If you won’t shut up I…” the boy started to snap, but stopped suddenly. A man had stepped out of the house, and despite of the dark, it was easy to see he was angry.

“Where have you been?”

“I… umm,” Hikaru fidgeted and tried to get a better hold of his burden. “I was… well, I went…”

“What’s that thing?” The man strode to the children with a few steps. “Why do you always have to drag some garbage back home?”

“It’s not garbage! It’s a go board,” Hikaru stated in an indignant tone. “I didn’t steal it!” he added hurriedly when the man’s face darkened. “I found it, I really did, I promise! Someone had thrown it away, see, it’s a bit cracked on that side…” He tried to turn the board and almost dropped it. “So… I thought if they don’t want it, I could take it.”

Akari was giggling. “A go board? You’re so silly.”

The man wasn’t amused. “You throw that thing away. _Away_ , I said!” he yelled as the boy started to protest. “Here I am, waiting for you to come to help me with the repairs so that we get this place fixed before winter comes, and you run around collecting worthless crap like that! What am I to _do_ with you?!”

“Masao?” a woman’s voice asked behind his back. “What is it?”

“Just look what this son of ours dragged home this time!” He turned to her with an angry swipe toward Hikaru. “A broken go board!”

The woman gave a little laugh. “A go board? What on earth are you planning to do with it, Hikaru?”

“I… I just thought it could be fun to have it… we could play five-in-a-row or something…” Hikaru shot a worried glance at his father and his voice trailed off.

“Playing silly games won’t feed anyone,” the man muttered. “The Good People might be able to waste their time on nonsense like that, but I don’t want to see that thing here ever again. Throw it away and go to bed. You won’t be sleeping long in the morning. We have a lot to do.”

Hikaru stared after him sullenly as he returned to the house. Akari shot one glance at the boy, and seeing his expression decided to withdraw quietly.

~

The next day Hikaru was kept busy, as promised. His father headed to the Katsura river, to his work as a fisherman, but the boy was left with such an exhausting to-do list that he couldn’t even think about wandering off now that he was unsupervised. Or… he _did_ think about it, but decided it was best to take no chances. At one point, Akari came to watch him and offered to help, but he chased her away angrily. “Girls are just in the way in carpentry,” he muttered, and Akari stomped angrily away.

Hikaru shot an irritated glance after the girl. “If it wasn’t for her stupid folks, I wouldn’t have to be fixing up this stupid house in the first place,” he muttered to himself and got back to work. After all, it was Akari’s parents who had put the idea of moving into the city in his father’s head. There had been no shortage of possible houses to take over in this area. The house they had moved to stood at the very edge of the city, by the western border. The area had originally been meant for high nobles, but the western quarter had started declining early, and by now many of the buildings were completely abandoned. Hikaru’s family wasn’t the only one that had moved there, quite different from the original inhabitants.

Their new home was a rather typical nobleman’s house, though a small one. There were white walls going all around it, though behind the main building they had partially collapsed, and Hikaru’s father wasn’t going to bother to fix them. There were three separate pavilions, connected with covered galleries, but at the moment they were using only one of them. Maybe, next year, if there was time and materials, they might fix up also the other parts, but for now the main building was enough for them. The outbuildings they had practically torn down to get building materials – and they hardly needed a stable, anyway.

Although in disrepair, it was still a rather grand place for a fisherman’s family. Hikaru knew his father had decided they would move there mainly because of his mother – he wanted to offer her more than just a little hut by the river. After all, Mitsuko came from a better family, and Hikaru suspected his father still had some funny need for recognition, though her parents were long dead, a need to show that he could offer her just as much as anyone else. Hikaru thought it was all just silly cause mother had been happy at the little hut by the river, but he didn’t – usually – complain. In truth, he liked the old place and its wild growing garden, and the idea of living in a mansion like that really appealed to him.

If only there hadn’t been so much repairing to be done.

 

The day after that, her anger faded, Akari came to look for him again and his mother told her Hikaru was out somewhere, this time with permission. The girl considered a moment, and decided to check their hiding place, one of the abandoned houses in the neighborhood that was in such a bad repair that no one would move in there. In fact, there was just one room in the whole big building that was safe to be used at all.

And sure enough, Hikaru was there, kneeling on the ground and watching something with obvious satisfaction.

“Hi!” Akari stepped in carefully. In truth she was a little scared every time she entered this house, certain that some day the ceiling would fall on them or the floor would break under her feet – she did hide that fear strictly from Hikaru, though. “What are you doing? Hey, it’s that go board!”

She knelt down beside Hikaru and touched the board with her index finger. “Wow. It _is_ really neat. Even if it’s cracked.” She glanced hesitantly at Hikaru. “But your father will get angry if he finds out…”

“Then he’d better _not_. Got that?” Hikaru looked at her strictly, and she nodded eagerly. 

“My lips are sealed,” she whispered.

“Good.” Hikaru straightened his back. “Now that you are here, I guess you could make yourself useful and play with me.”

Akari grinned. “Really? What shall we play? Five-in-a-row?”

Hikaru snorted. “Don’t be stupid. This is a go board. You play go on a go board.”

The grin on Akari’s face twitched. “Go? Do you know how it’s played?”

“Of course.” Hikaru pointed at the pile of stones he had on the floor by the board. “First of all, you’ve got these black and white stones. And then…”

Akari picked one up. “Is this one black or white?” she asked, twiddling it around.

Hikaru glanced at it with a frown. “Black. Don’t interr…”

“I think it’s closer to white than black…”

“Well, okay! It’s gray.” Hikaru snatched it from her hands and threw it away. “Do you want to learn or not? Then shut up!” He cleared his throat. “You put the stones on the board like this…” he placed one on it, “and… you’re trying to… with these black and white stones…”

“Yes?” Akari looked at him expectantly. 

“Well, you make… different… formations.” Hikaru placed more stones on the board so that they formed a cross. “Like this. And you get points, umm, based on how complicated forms you can make. And you try to stop your opponent from finishing his.”

“Okay…” Akari didn’t sound certain. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Hikaru exclaimed, indignant. “Now, do you wanna play or not?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed happily, and they started their game. Quite a lot of yelling and arguing took place before it reached its questionable end, the winner still undetermined, but at the very least they also had quite a lot of fun.

The problem was, Hikaru mused when he was lying in his bed that night wide awake, that the point wasn’t just ‘having fun’. In truth, he couldn’t quite say exactly what the point _was_ , but he couldn’t help feeling they were just fooling around. And though fooling around wasn’t something he normally minded, that wasn’t what he had had in mind when he had decided to keep the board. Well, alright, he had kept it just to spite his father. And as his father didn’t know about it, maybe the whole thing was quite pointless, but... still. He had a strange, indistinct feeling there had to be more to this game, though he didn’t quite understand what or why.

And so, when one day he was making his way home and happened to spot two men engaged in a game of go on a terrace of what seemed to be the backside of a small shop, he did his best to sneak closer. He couldn’t quite get close enough, though, and he couldn’t remain for long or he’d receive yet another scolding, but at least he saw enough that he could instruct Akari the next time they played.

“If you surround your opponent’s stone, like this,” he said in the middle of their game, “you can remove it.” And he picked away one of Akari’s white stones.

“Hey, what!” Akari exclaimed. “You can’t make up new rules just like that!”

“I didn’t make it up!” Hikaru glared at her. “It’s a real rule! We, umm, we were playing on a lower level before. Because I thought this’d be too hard for you.”

Akari returned his glower. “Oh, really? Well, I guess I’ll take your stone then!” She snapped a white stone down and surrounded a black one.

Hikaru blinked as she removed it from the board. “I knew you could take that. I just wanted to see if you’d notice it,” he said nonchalantly.

Akari said nothing, just waited for his move with a sharp look in her eyes.

~

Hikaru made a habit of trying to linger around that little shop when ever possible, always passing it on his way home, just in case he’d see the men playing again. This did happen a few times, but he learned annoyingly little. He couldn’t exactly stop to watch their game, worried that they’d chase him away for good or go to play inside, and what little bits he saw, he didn’t really understand. But one day only the go board sat alone on the terrace, a finished game on it. There came voices from inside the shop but there was no one near by, and after a short moment of hesitation he dashed to the board to examine it more closely.

He could make no sense of the formations of the stones. _Was_ the game even finished? How could you tell? Who had won? He leaned closer, trying to find order in the chaos of the stones. Some areas were clearly the territory of one or another, but others… was there some _meaning_ in the haphazardness?

He picked up one black stone and looked at it thoughtfully. Then he tried to snap it on the board the way he’d seen the men do, but it fell from his fingers and rolled down from the board. He reached to pick it up – and froze. The stone had come to stop in front of a pair of wrinkled feet. The owner of the feet bent down, picked up the stone, and gave him a look he didn’t quite comprehend – somewhere between curious, amused, and a little annoyed.

“Careful with the stones, boy,” he grunted. “They chip easily.”

“Ah…I’m sorry,” Hikaru stammered, finally snapping back to life. He rushed to his feet and attempted to run away, but the old man – owner of the shop and one of the players – reached out and grasped his arm.

“Hold it.” He kept on watching the boy through a slightly narrowed eyes. Hikaru gulped, wondering just how deep trouble he’d this time landed himself, when the corner of the man’s mouth twitched a little. “I’ve seen you before, boy. You tend to hang around quite often here.”

Hikaru’s eyes darted restlessly around, trying to spot something that would save him. “Well, I… I just…”

“What’s it in go that interests you, boy?” the man asked without giving him a chance to finish his sentence.

“I…” Hikaru paused in his struggling and looked at the old man suspiciously. “I just think it’s fun,” he muttered.

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched again. Then he burst into laughter. “You find it fun? Here I am, trying to get my grandchildren interested in the game, quite in vain, and then some street brat shows up and says he likes it?”

“I’m not…” Hikaru started to protest, but the man didn’t listen to him. 

“Well, sit down, then, boy,” he said and pushed Hikaru toward the go board. As the confused boy just stood there, not knowing what to do, he whacked him on the head with his fan. “Sit, I said! Let’s play a game.”

Hikaru’s instincts told him the smart thing to do was to run away. Sure, they were both commoners, but still not quite in the same league – he the son of a simple fisherman, this man a successful merchant. But, as usual, curiosity took the better of him, and he settled down by the board opposite to the man.

“So, you say you play?” the man asked, and Hikaru jerked his head in a way that might have been a nod.

“Yeah.”

“How many stones do you need?”

Hikaru blinked. How many stones? Weren’t he supposed to use them all? “Umm…”

“Ah, a difficult question, of course, as you don’t know my skill. Say, let’s play an even game. It is the best way to find out the skill of your opponent.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hikaru agreed, though he didn’t quite know what the man was talking about.

A moment they sat there in the silence. Then the man motioned with his hand. “Go on, you begin.”

“Oh.” Hikaru gave a start. “Yes. Of course.” He picked up a black stone and licked nervously his lips. His first _real_ go game! He’d better not mess this up. 

As he had watched the men play, he had noticed they usually placed the first stones into the corners, so that was what he did. Having played his move he leaned back, waiting for the man to play. But instead of taking a white stone, the man stared at his stone, then at him, and then again at the stone. Then, without saying anything he pushed the stone a little with one finger, so that instead of being in the square, it lay at the intersection of the lines.

Hikaru felt himself blush a little. Alright, one more thing to teach Akari. The stones weren’t played in the squares but on the intersections. How would he ever make it seem as if he had always known that?

With a blink he realized that it was his move again, the old man had played his stone in another corner. He picked a stone and placed it down on the table, this time not in the corner but on the right side, close to the edge. He wondered if he should confess that he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. But he was worried that maybe then the old man would get angry and drive him away. This was his best chance to learn any real go at all, and he didn’t want to miss it.

And so they played on, placing black and white stones by turns on the board in deep silence. The game hadn’t gone on for long before the old merchant paused and shook his head. “I thought you said you know how to play,” he stated dryly.

“Actually, I didn’t,” Hikaru shot back. “I just said I play. I didn’t say what I play or if I’m any good or anything like that.”

The man glared at him, but barked then a short laugh. “Do you even know what the goal of this game is?”

“Well, I…” Hikaru stared at the board, hesitantly. “I know you can capture the opponent’s stones if you surround them, so… maybe you should capture as many stones as you can?”

“Not quite. You want to secure your territory, capturing stones is only a part of it. Sometimes it is better not to capture them.”

Hikaru blinked. “Why?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Why do you want to learn?” the man questioned him in return. Hikaru shrugged.

“I don’t know. As I said, it seems fun.”

“Fun,” the old man snorted. He watched the boy a long while a thoughtful expression no his face. “Fine,” he suddenly said, as if coming to a conclusion. “I’ll teach you. How about that?”

“Are you serious, father?” came another voice. A younger man had emerged from the shop. “You are going to teach this… this…” He gave Hikaru a contemptuous look and left the sentence hanging in the air.

Normally his tone would have received an angry retort from Hikaru, but now the boy let it pass, watching the old man with nervous anticipation, not himself quite believing what he had just heard.

“And why not, if he wants to learn? Unlike you, dear son of mine, only interested in making profit, too busy to learn an intriguing game. Now,” he turned back to Hikaru. “What do you say?” 

A slow grin spread on Hikaru’s face. “It would be brilliant. Sir,” he added a little belatedly. “Totally.”

“So we’ve got a deal. What’s your name, boy?”

“Hikaru,” Hikaru replied, and then man gave him a solemn nod.

“Good to meet you, Hikaru. My name’s Shinpo Heihachi. And you’d better stop calling me ‘sir’ right away.”

And so Hikaru got his first go teacher. On that first day, he stayed there much too long, simply not realizing how fast time flew, and so he received quite a lecture once he finally came home. He didn’t care though, for he had learned so much. This old man had lifted the veil on the mystery of go, and though it all had began of nothing else but a childish obsession, now Hikaru found himself truly mesmerized by this seemingly simple but so very deep game that he almost felt he could drown into its whirlpools.

Akari didn’t quite understand what to make about the changes in the game. “If this is go,” she wondered, “then what did we play before?”

“Children’s games,” Hikaru replied a little haughtily. “This is the real thing.”

~

 

Sai was once again in the middle of a game with Nobunori, when a message arrived from his father. The two of them were so immersed in the game that they didn’t even notice the arrival of the messenger, and the servants knew them well enough to realize there was no point to try to disrupt their game, especially as the message was not urgent.

They didn’t have to wait long, though. Nobunori grasped a handful of stones and dropped them on the board, exasperated. “I’ve lost,” he stated flatly. “Once again.”

“Thank you for the game,” Sai said, bowing his head, and “Thanks for the game,” his opponent replied sullenly.

Starting to pick up the stones from the board Sai attempted, very carefully, to suggest that maybe next time there _could_ , in the end, be one handicap stone more, but this just earned him an annoyed sigh.

“Whatever. I swear, I play worse games on this board than on the old one!”

“I wouldn’t say so…” Sai tried again, but he wasn’t given a chance to finish his sentence.

“But I would! Like this move…” Only now they noticed the servant who was trying to get their attention.

Sai was, in truth, relieved to get the message and so a way to change the topic. He enjoyed playing go with Nobunori – a second cousin of his, and his main companion and guide ever since he had arrived to the capital after having spent over a decade in the provinces. His moves were innovative and often surprising in their simplicity, but unfortunately he couldn’t quite connect all those brilliant moves to each other. He made mistakes, not always bad ones, but a player of Sai’s quality simply couldn’t leave them unexploited. And though Nobunori wasn’t a sore loser, he tended to get a bit moody after many consecutive losses. At times Sai thought that maybe he should go a little easier on him, but he was afraid Nobunori would notice that, and get even angrier.

“Any news?” Nobunori asked as he read the message.

“Oh, nothing particularly interesting,” Sai stated, eyes still scanning the message. “He is just recounting some little things that have happened.” Little things that his father found interesting, that was, and he enjoyed hearing about them, but he had a feeling Nobunori wouldn’t appreciate them. “Everything seems to be going well there. But here, look! He sent us a game record. A game he played against a passing traveler. Shall we play it out?”

“Why not.” Nobunori shrugged, not very eager. “Does he say if he is coming to the capital some day?”

Sai shook his head. “No. He seems to be quite busy.”

Nobunori snorted. “He is much too diligent. One could almost think he prefers living in that far-off place over the capital.”

Sai smiled. _No need just to ‘almost’ think so_ , he thought, but didn’t say it aloud. He knew his cousin wouldn’t understand. “It would be great if you met him some day,” he said instead. “I know he would love to have a game with you.”

Nobunori snorted. “Love to beat me, you mean.”

“Well, he _is_ a better player than I am,” Sai replied with a laugh. “But he loves to play against different people, to see different styles of play.”

“Then one would think he would come to the capital,” Nobunori stated as they started replaying the game. “All the best go players are here.”

Sai nodded eagerly. “Exactly why I am here,” he said solemnly, and his friend laughed.

“What, I thought you came to study in the university, so that you can take the examinations and become an official.”

“Well, that too, I guess. But go is what is important – and here, among all the best players, one can truly hope to each the divine move some day. I just wish I could take those examinations already! The studies take too much time, time I could spend playing.”

Nobunori shook his head, smiling a little wryly at his mention of the divine move. “I wonder what kind of an official you would be, just spending your days playing go…”

“Well, I guess I just have to get myself a post where the job consists of playing go,” Sai stated jokingly, but the game he was replaying was beginning to win his interest. “Oh, look here!” he exclaimed. “Isn’t that an ingenious respond to my father’s _hane_ here! No wonder he sent this game to me.”

“True.” For a moment both bent over the go board, examining it carefully. Then Nobunori looked up at his friend.

“Say, are you coming to follow Masatsune’s poetry competition next week?”

“Me?” Sai looked at him in surprise. “I… I don’t know, I don’t really care so much of those…”

“You should. You’ve been here for months, it’s about time you start forming right kind of connections. Besides, I’ve heard that the emperor’s go teacher comes there. You might have a chance to play a game with him.”

Sai’s whole face lit up. “He does? That would be marvelous! Are you sure I can come? Do you think he would play with me? I wouldn’t want to be pushy, it’s about poetry anyway, isn’t it, and not go, but it would be so great, and if you think I can come, I certainly will, though…”

Nobunori laughed out loud. “I’m sure it’s alright! You can come with me. I’m sure everyone will be happy to meet you. And even if you can’t play then, surely you will get a chance later. The important thing is to meet the correct people.” 

Sai nodded eagerly, eyes still shining. “Emperor’s go teacher,” he said dreamily. “That must be the best job there is.”

“For you, maybe,” Nobunori replied, still smiling. Then he shook his head. “I still don’t understand how a go player of your father’s quality can remain in the provinces. Luckily at least you are more sensible.”

Sai let the comment pass with a smile and went on replaying the game. The truth was that he himself at times missed his old home province where he had spent most of his life. The peacefulness of the place, certain cordiality that people there had that most his new acquaintances seemed to lack. The great plains, and the sight of Mount Fuji in the distance, more amazing than he had been able to convey in the poems he had attempted to write.

Some day he would yet write that poem that would make everyone to understand the wonders of Musashi province. But now, there was this intriguing record in his hands, and he bent eagerly over the go board the replay it. Yes, Musashi had its points, and at times it happened that some traveler passed by who could truly play great go, but in the end, he couldn’t have moved back there. Not to stay, at least. The capital was full of wonderful go players, and he hadn’t yet been able to play with but a few of them. His father might prefer the solitude of the provinces, but he… he would not leave the capital anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This old merchant is, of course, Hikaru’s grandfather. I changed the last name a little – Shindou has two kanji: “advance; proceed; progress; promote” and “wisteria”. The first kanji of Shinpo is the same, but the word as a whole means “progress; advance; improvement; development.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A few weeks after Hikaru had met the old silk merchant, he once again sneaked out of his home to play go with him. He couldn't go there as often as he would have wanted, and it had been a week since the previous time. It wasn't just about fooling his parents, but Akari too, and honestly, escaping his parents was easy, but Akari could be just impossible. Thinking about it, the old man Heihachi would have probably been thrilled to get another student, even if it would have been just a girl, but Hikaru wanted to keep him for himself. He _liked_ the old man. He was strict, sometimes annoyingly so, but he didn't get angry just because some kid disagreed with him or challenged his point of view – well, except when he really had a reason. But he listened to Hikaru, and this was something new to him. Even his mother, who in general was much easier to get along with than his father, didn't really seem to pay attention to what he had to say. Simply put, he enjoyed this new attention.

He slipped in from the backdoor – at first he had used the front, but Heihachi's son, who helped him to run the store, had complained that the sight of a shabby street kid like him frequenting the place would give the shop a bad name. Hikaru did not like the son – or his wife – much, and the feeling was mutual. This time, luckily, neither of them was in sight.

"Ah, good evening, Hikaru!" Heihachi exclaimed seeing him. "I was wondering when you would come."

"Hi, ojiisan. Sorry I've been away… my parents didn't give me permission to come here before now." Of course, his parents hadn't given him any permission now either, in fact they thought he was out collecting firewood with his friends (he had a little pile hidden, one he had gathered stick by stick during the previous days, so that he'd have something to show them when he'd go home.) He wasn't about to tell this to the merchant though. He had learned his lesson – once he had made the mistake to say that he'd sneaked away without a leave, and no matter how hard he had tried to explain that his father would never let him to waste time learning something as trivial as go, Heihachi had still angrily sent him back.

"Be that as it may, they are your parents," he had grumbled. "If they don't say you can come, then you can't."

Now, as Hikaru sat down by the go board, the old man smiled at him cordially. "How's everything going?" he asked. "It really has been a while. I take it you've been busy."

"Yeah." Hikaru stretched his back. "Dad's finally getting done with the house, though. About time. It's getting awfully cold."

They started the day's lesson, a simple game of capturing stones on a nine times nine board. It didn't take long before Heihachi paused and gave the boy a thoughtful look.

"It looks like there's something on your mind," he stated. It was quite obvious that the boy wasn't concentrating on their game with his usual zeal.

Hikaru shrugged uncomfortably. "Father's been talking that I should be apprenticed to someone. I'm twelve already, so I guess it's high time. He says it's obvious I don't have a calling to be a fisherman – and he's damn right about that – but I don't know. I don't really like any of the possibilities he's been talking about. But it sounds like I don't have much choice here…"

"But your father is right," Heihachi pointed out. "Life will be much easier if you get yourself a proper occupation. Unless you want to spend your days cleaning the streets, or something like that…"

"Definitely not!" Hikaru burst out. "I just don't know what I'd want to do…"

"Isn't there anything you are interested in?"

Hikaru thought a moment. "Sure. Playing go."

The old man gave a laugh. "I'm afraid you would find it hard to make a living playing go."

"That sucks. Though, why not? I could start a go school or something. Hey, maybe I could get apprenticed to you, learning go! How about that?" He looked up at the old man, excited. It sounded like a crazy idea, but who knew.

Heihachi smiled at the boy's eager expression. "I don't know about that… but I could find you job in my shop, if you wish."

"Oh…" Hikaru's face fell. "Well, I guess… beats cleaning the streets." He thought about having to work with Heihachi's son and daughter-in-law, and grimaced. "Maybe…"

"It certainly does!" Heihachi snorted. "This is a fine store, we sell the best silk in the city! But we must work on your manners – and appearance – before you can be allowed any contact with customers."

"And what's wrong with my manners and appearance? Too shabby?" His face grew so dark that Heihachi burst into laughter.

"My son's manners could improve as well, but he does have a point, you know. Someone dressed like you working at the finest cloth store? No. Not good." He shook his head looking at the boy's clothes. They weren't that bad, really – Hikaru's mother saw to that – but still, the very quality of the cloth made him want to cringe, and though the clothes were mainly clean, Hikaru didn't seem to be paying much attention on exactly how they were hanging on him.

"Well, think about it, see how you feel about it, if it's the right path for you. We can talk more next time you come. But now… if I go here…" he placed down a stone, "what should you do?"

"Mmh." Hikaru bent over their little board, blinking. He didn't really have any idea. "Something like… this?"

"And if I go here?"

"Oh… oh, damn, I don't know. Maybe… damn. It just doesn't work, does it?"

Heihachi shook his head with a smile, and bent over the board to show the boy the right path.

~

The gathering at Tachibana no Masatsune's home had been a rather pleasant event so far, although to Sai's disappointment he hadn't had a chance to bring the topic of go up in a conversation, even in passing. He had exchanged some pleasantries with Sugawara no Akitada, the go teacher of the emperor himself, but soon the man had been whisked away – he was a part of the men's team in the poetry contest Masatsune was holding.

Although it wasn't quite his forte, Sai did enjoy good poetry just as much as any other guest present, but though many of the poems exchanged that night were quite masterful, he could not help wishing the contest would soon be over so that he could try to see if he'd be able to get a game.

It was now the ladies' turn. From behind the curtain of the state a charming voice recited,

"From the mountain top storms blow the cherry flowers, so quickly scattered… your own fickle affections are just as vain and fleeting."

Someone from the gentlemen's team was quick to reply. "Mount Asaka is known for its shallow springs. Shallow I am not. Then why is the mountain spring I long for so distant from me?"

And so it was the ladies' turn again, and with a little laugh someone recited a reply that made everyone else laugh as well, as it with clever puns made the previous one sound quite hypocritical.

It was, in the end, the ladies' team that won the contest by general consensus. Sai waited a moment – a very short one, for his patience had run thin – and approached then the go teacher. Sugawara no Akitada was sitting together with a couple of other court nobles whose names Sai didn't remember, though he was afraid they had been introduced to him earlier. His attention had been quite elsewhere.

He sat down with a bow and congratulated Akitada on his poems in the contest. "I especially enjoyed the one referring to a game of go," he said, feeling suddenly a little shy. He didn't quite know where went the line between honesty and flattery. He did not want to appear as if he was trying to sweet-talk his way into this go players favor, but he knew that his over-enthusiasm could easily be misunderstood if he didn't try to control it.

Akitada bowed his head a little for thanks, a small smile playing on his lips. "And do you play, Sai-sama?" he asked, and Sai started nodding eagerly.

"I love the game," he said, and despite his efforts his enthusiasm began to flow over. "No, I don't think love is strong enough. There simply isn't anything as magnificent in the world as go."

Akitada laughed out loud. "My, I think you are even a worse zealot than I," he stated. "If your skill is anywhere close to your passion, you should be a great player."

"He is," another voice said. Nobunori joined their company. "I have never been able to win against him, not even with a three stone handicap." He sat down with a sigh. "I guess I'll just have to swallow my pride and get one handicap stone more."

"Really?" one of Akitada's companions looked at Sai with interest. "But you are not a bad player, Nobunori-sama. It might be quite interesting to play a game with you," he said, indicating Sai with a nod of his head.

"Oh, I would be happy to play with you!" Sai exclaimed. "There is nothing better than playing as many games as possible with as many different players as possible! And of course…" He hesitated as his eyes traveled again to Akitada.

"It would be a pleasure," the elder man said with a smile. "I meet seldom people with such a shining passion for go. I am sure the experience will be rewarding."

Sai smiled brightly. He wanted to jump up and go to find the nearest go board right away, but managed to control himself. His second cousin was watching him with a smile, most likely knowing what was going on in his head.

"Would it be too much of trouble for you to play a game now?" Nobunori asked. "For this is a game I very much would wish to see."

Sai was nodding eagerly. "Well, Masatsune-sama!" one of Akitada's companions, the one who had expressed interest in playing with Sai, exclaimed. "Get out your go board! There is a game about to start!"

This got the attention of other guests as well, and very soon Sai found himself sitting in front of go board, opposite to Sugawara no Akitada. They were attracting quite an audience, but their host did not seem to mind this new addition to the program, quite on the contrary.

The players bowed at each other, and the game began, Sai playing black.

He fought to keep the grin from his face as he made his first move. He hadn't believed he would be able to get to play this man so soon. He was thankful to his cousin – he couldn't have been so pushy about the game. He looked at the man opposite to him. Akitada was sitting in a rather relaxed pose, playing his moves with a careless air. Perhaps he didn't know that Nobunori truly _was_ a good player. He didn't know who he was facing. The smile tugging Sai's lips changed, turning into a more tight-lipped, determined look. His opponent was in for a surprise.

It did not take long for Akitada to get a more serious attitude toward the game. Their audience followed it in silence, and even those who weren't any great go players saw that this was a game between two masters, as surprising as it was that this youngster no one truly knew could challenge the best player of the city – if not the country, as they had often thought.

As for Akitada, it was his turn to fight to keep his expression neutral. There was depth in this game that he would have loved to explore more boldly, but he did not dare to – he had to be careful not to lose this game. Perhaps, if he did lose, he could play it down, say he hadn't been playing seriously from the beginning – which was quite true – but still, it would start unwanted rumors. What would the emperor say if, or, rather, when, he would hear that some young nobody who had recently moved to the capital from the provinces had easily defeated his go teacher? No, that was a scene he wished to avoid at all costs.

And soon he had his chance as his young opponent made a move – not a bad move, truly, but still a move that opened him the way he had been looking for. Sai didn't seem to notice it at first, but when he did their eyes locked for a moment, he was shocked to see the look in his opponent's eyes – never before had he met anyone so young with such a piercing gaze.

In the end he was saved, and the game ended in his win by two moku. The silence lasted long, as everyone sat quietly watching the board. Then Sai bowed his head. "Thank you for the game," he said. "Thank you very much."

Akitada bowed in return. "Thank you for the game," he replied, seemingly quite nonchalant. But as he straightened his back, his eyes dwelt long on his opponent. A face and name he should not forget .

"A fantastic game!" someone finally cried out among their audience, and as if that one exclamation had broken all the barriers, everyone started talking at once.

"Truly, truly brilliant!" the one who had expressed his interest to play with Sai declared. "I wonder just how many stones I would need…"

"All things considered, maybe I shouldn't feel so bad about always losing," Nobunori pondered. "Say, Sai, think I could have five stones from now on?" He was only half joking as he looked at his second cousin with new eyes. He hadn't ever truly realized the depth of Sai's skill before.

Sai merely smiled at him. "Would you want to discuss the game?" he asked, turning to Akitada. "I feel like I learned so much from it, and…"

"Oh, yes, it was a good game," Akitada cut him off, fanning himself calmly with his fan. "A very good game. You certainly surprised me. We need to play again some day. But now…" He covered a yawn with the fan. "It was a rather long game, and it is getting late. I would yet wish to see the manuscripts Masatsune-sama was talking about before take my leave." And he stood up, turning to their host. "Would you be so kind?"

Masatsune got quickly to his feet as well, and started guiding him elsewhere. "Oh, certainly, certainly! I am sure you are bound to appreciate the precision…."

The two of them disappeared from the room, followed by some other people. Sai shot a disappointed glance after them, but he didn't have long to dwell on it, for there were others who found the game much more interesting than some dusty old books, and they talked of it long into the night.

~

Hikaru had wished he'd be able to meet the old merchant soon again, but as before, he hadn't got the chance before over a week had passed. He had been thinking about the man's suggestion. He wasn't quite sure if he was that interested in working for a cloth merchant, but if it was _this_ particular merchant… maybe he would be able to deal with annoying people like the son and the son's wife.

And if he were working for the old man, maybe even moved to his place, they would certainly have many chances for playing go.

He hadn't yet mentioned anything to his parents. Luckily his father had been too busy to bother him with any talk about apprenticeship lately, but Hikaru knew he hadn't forgotten it, and it was only a matter of time when he would come home and tell him it was all settled, and there would be nothing he'd be able to do about it.

It was getting late in the evening as he rushed through the streets toward the merchant's home. The sun had set, and during the recent days the nights had become quite cold. Hikaru jogged on briskly, a little cloud forming in front of his mouth at every breath. He had made his mind – if pretending to be a merchant would give him a chance to continue playing, he would do it.

He reached the old man's home, ran straight to the backdoor and entered without even knocking, but came soon to an abrupt stop. He heard many voices from ahead. Did they have visitors?

He tiptoed quietly closer and peeked into a room where the voices came from. The merchant's son was there, talking with two other men, and they all looked quite grim. Hikaru stood in the doorway, straining his ears to hear what they said, but their voices were too low.

The daughter-in-law was there as well, and she was the one to notice him. She hurried to him briskly, soundlessly, making shooing gestures with her hands. "Go, go," she whispered sternly. "You have no business here."

Annoyed at her tone, Hikaru stood his ground. "What do you mean?" he said aloud, making also the men notice him. "I came to meet Shinpo-san."

"You can't meet him," the woman snapped, still in a low voice. "Go."

"What do you mean I can't meet him? I'm sure he's expecting me, I'll…"

"My honored father," the merchant's son cut him off, approaching them, "passed away this morning. Now that he is gone, there is no point for you to come here anymore."

Hikaru stood still, uncertain and unwilling to believe he had heard right.

"But… how?" Last time they had met, the man had seemed the paragon of health. Of course, he was old, but still. How could he just die, so suddenly…

"His heart failed," the woman said curtly.

Hikaru stared at the four people in the room. The merchant's son and his wife looked at him as if he were something dirty in a newly cleaned room, and the two strangers behind them were staring at him with evident confusion and curiosity. He turned slowly on his heels and walked away. No point to ask if he still could get a job there, crossed in his mind, and he shook his head angrily.

When he came out he started running, just running without any real goal. Something burned in his eyes, and he fought to keep the tears back. The cold winter air was painful in his throat as he ran, but he didn't care.

He didn't stop before he arrived to the wide Suzaku Avenue. Panting he stood at the Avenue's edge, staring at the people who walked by him without really seeing them. Then his knees gave in under him and he fell on the ground, sniffing.

He had never known his grandparents. His father's parents had died before his parents even got married, and his mother had come to the city from the countryside, as a servant of a minor lady, and though there had been talk about her parents moving to the capital as well, the sudden death of the lady which led to his mother losing her job had changed those plans. Mitsuko herself had been about to return to the provinces, but then she had met Hikaru's father and married him. Her parents didn't quite approve of the marriage, thinking she could have found a better match, and had never visited the couple, and so they too passed away without Hikaru ever meeting them.

With this old merchant Hikaru had got his first glimpse what it might have been like to have a grandfather – he had even started calling the old man ojiisan, which Heihachi hadn't seemed to mind. But now, just when he thought his life in fact might take a turn to better, something insane like this happened.

"Damn you!" he yelled suddenly at the dark sky above him, earning a couple of weird looks from passers-by. A moment he stared at the sky, angry and unyielding, wanting to deny the gods themselves. But cursing wouldn't help, and didn't help. In the end he had no other choice but scramble back on his feet and start shuffling back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poems are from The Tale of Genji.
> 
> ...and I do feel cruel killing the old man off right away, but... it couldn't be helped.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty quick update this time, for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm having many days off right now so I've got plenty of time (this will change in February, when I start doing full hours at work), and 2) this chapter... well, back when I wrote it during NaNo, I thought I might cut it off when the fic's ready. It didn't feel like a necessary part of the story – and maybe it isn't, but reading it through I decided it does serve some function in describing Hikaru's current state of mind … perhaps. It all comes from one single line Hikaru says in the sequel of this fic...
> 
> ...and having said that, I just must add that writing a prequel really is a pain. Your hands are totally tied. Usually it's not a big deal if the characters don't agree to do exactly what you tell them, but with a prequel... they have to. I hope I'll manage to keep things consistent with the sequel (and I admit, I did make some little changes to it when this fic didn't work out completely like I thought. Very little, and I doubt people would even notice those things.) But anyway, I really can't recommend writing prequels.

The year turned, but Hikaru's life seemed to stand still. His father had tried to get him apprenticed a few times, but he couldn't really force himself to be interested in any of the occupations, and usually the apprenticeships ended short, most often because he decided to stop doing it. If he didn't want to do something, damned well he wouldn't, and no matter how badly he got yelled at wouldn't change that.

He had started avoiding Akari, as well. The girl didn't understand how his great enthusiasm about go had died away so suddenly. At first she had been trying too talk him into playing with her again, but Hikaru had merely snapped something angrily and told her to leave him be. He had not entered the abandoned house where they kept the go board since the merchant's death. It was pointless, he knew that now, as much as he hated to admit his father had been right. What good would playing games bring him?

"It's just stupid," he muttered aloud. He was sitting with a few friends on the banks of Katsura river. He had been helping his father – "If you refuse all other occupations, then you'd better just come fishing with me!" the man had yelled the other day in exasperation. It was true Hikaru didn't have much skill for fishing – for one, he lacked the patience to wait for fishes to nap, or to fix tangled nets, and overall, he just didn't like fishes, except as food. They were slimy, slippery, had bulging eyes that stared at him even in his dreams, and scaling and cleaning them was absolutely disgusting.

Then again, he wished he had been dreaming about something as pleasant as fish recently. Although a month had passed, the old merchant still haunted his dreams. Not necessarily in person, but he always existed somewhere in the background. In those dreams, Hikaru saw life as it could have been – though admittedly with some weird dreamlike twists – and he hated it. In those dreams he still played go, and he was good in it.

"Did you get a good haul?" one of his friends, a boy called Kimihiro, asked him.

Hikaru shrugged. "We're not starving." In truth, they hadn't been getting as much fish as they would have needed, but then again, in midwinter fish didn't move that much.

"Don't you have to go to sell them with your father?"

Hikaru shrugged again, angrily. "Whatever. He can do it on his own.

"Have you been thinking what you want to do?" Kimihiro asked after a moment's silence.

Hikaru stared at the river, its water glistening in the mid-winter sun. "I know what I _don't_ want to do."

"But you know, you need to come up with something… you can't just…"

"Oh, cut him some slack!" Another boy who had been lying on his back next to them sat up, and threw the stick he'd been toying with at Kimihiro. "I swear, you nag more than my mother!"

"I don't nag," Kimihiro protested, offended. "I'm merely worried about him. How do you suppose he'll make his living if he doesn't learn any occupation? Not everyone can be as lucky as you were, and get to work for some lordling their grandpa once served – totally without any merit of their own."

"Any merit?" The object of his criticism gripped Kimihiro's neck into a strong hold. "You take that back."

Hikaru stood up, ignoring his quarreling friends.

"Hey, where are you going to?" Kimihiro glanced after him and tried to get free. "Tetsuo, cut it already!"

The two scrambled on their feet and rushed after Hikaru. "Where are you going?" Kimihiro repeated his question.

"Nowhere in particular," Hikaru mumbled in response. "Just walking."

"You are so moody these days," Kimihiro went on, following him. "Been for long. Has something happened?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Maybe he gets moody because everyone's pushing their noses into his business," Tetsuo put in. "He's still a kid, what's the hurry?"

Hikaru shot him a glare. "I'm just two years younger than you."

"Yeah. A kid." Tetsuo reached out a hand to ruffle his hair, and he pushed it angrily away.

"But you should come up with something to do," Tetsuo went on, ignoring his irritation. "I'm not talking about a job, necessarily, but, you know. You _are_ thirteen already, no wonder you get bored if you have nothing else to do but help mom and dad with chores, and play around with girls."

"Tetsuo…" Kimihiro tried to put in in an exasperated tone, having a hunch where this was going, but he was ignored.

"We could go to my grandma's place, how about that? And talk more there, and…"

"No," Kimihiro cut him off. "No way. We're not going to that den. Seriously, the boy doesn't even have a job, and you are going to make him a gambler?"

"I didn't say anything about gambling!" Tetsuo protested innocently. "I just thought we could sit around, have some drinks, and…"

"What kind of drinks?" Kimihiro interrupted him before he could really get going.

"Well, what do you think? You are such…"

"Thanks guys, but I'm fine," Hikaru put in. "I'll rather just walk around a bit, or something. It's nice weather."

They had left the river behind and entered the city. Hikaru thought about stopping by at home to check if his mother was there and could give him some snack, but decided then that he didn't want to impose his friends – especially Tetsuo – on her. He thought about all his friends had said, and he had to admit they were both right. He should try to get his life back on the track… but on the other hand, it annoyed him how everyone was telling him what to do.

Life simply sucked. He didn't want to worry about such things, he just wanted to have fun. And things like carpentry, pottery, fishing… none of that was _fun_. He might have been happy playing go, but sure enough, what kind of an occupation was that? One would have to be a noble to be able to spend his days like that.

That would have been great. To have been to be one of the yokibito, the good people. Aristocrats. What an easy life, and no need to worry about such things as making a living. He thought about the old merchant, once again, and cursed his luck. Maybe Heihachi hadn't been an aristocrat, but still, he'd missed there the best chance he'd ever get, he could see that now.

"Hey, let's go to the palace," he suddenly said making a 180.

"To the palace?" Tetsuo said in surprise, and Kimihiro asked, "Why on earth?"

"Just for fun. I want to see it. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

His companions shared a look, but left after him, though for quite different reasons.

"This is going to be interesting," Tetsuo murmured to himself.

"I hope not," Kimihiro said quietly.

.

"So. There it is."

They had approached the palace from the west, instead of going to the Suzaku Avenue to see the main gate, Hikaru stopped to watch the wall going round the palace area, and the small side gates in it.

"Well, yeah." Tetsuo stopped by his side, hands on his hips. "There it is. What now?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see it." Hikaru watched the buildings rising on the other side of the wall. "I wonder what life's like over there."

Tetsuo barked a laugh. "You are a funny little fellow!" He ruffled Hikaru's hair again. "I guess if you want to know you should go and see. Now there's an occupation for you! Become one of them aristocrats!"

"I could," Hikaru said thoughtfully. "That's not a very high wall, it should be easy to climb over it."

"That is a _very_ bad idea, Hikaru," Kimihiro said sternly, and even Tetsuo shook his head.

"You know, I didn't mean you should go there right now."

"Why not?" The longer Hikaru stared at the wall, the easier it seemed to be to climb over it – and the more he wanted to do it. Sure, he could just return to his home and spend his days among fish – or then he could take a chance. "One never knows what could happen, if one doesn't try."

"What do you think _could_ happen if you go there? That's nonsense, Hikaru!" Kimihiro grasped his shoulder and spun him around so that they were facing each other. "Listen to me, you'll just get yourself in trouble, and…"

"It would be kind of fun, though, wouldn't it?" Tetsuo was watching the wall with a gleam in his eyes. "I wonder how far we'd get…"

"What?" Kimihiro gave him an incredulous look. "We? No, not you too…"

Tetsuo grinned at him. "Come now, aren't you curious? If nothing else, that'd be a tale to tell."

"Certainly," Kimihiro muttered darkly. "I just doubt it would be the kind of tale I'd like to be telling."

"Oh, you don't have to come if you don't want to," Tetsuo said and walked to the wall. "Alright, here's what we do. Are there people close by?" He glanced around and saw that at the moment they were alone on the street. "I'll help you up first, and then you help me. Ok?"

Hikaru nodded, and walked to the wall as well.

"Wait!" Kimihiro whispered fervently. "Don't be stupid, you two! Who knows what they'll do when they catch you!"

" _If_ they catch us," Tetsuo said over his shoulder with a grin, and helped Hikaru to sit on the wall. "Do you see anyone on that side?"

As Hikaru shook his head, he too jumped up, grasping a hold of the edge of the wall, and with Hikaru's help dragged himself on the top of it.

"Don't worry so much," he called down at Kimihiro. "We'll be fine." And they jumped down into the palace area.

"Now what?" Hikaru whispered, as he watched the area where they had come.

"You are the one who wanted to come here, you tell me," Tetsuo whispered back.

There was a group of buildings in front of them, from the look of them some kind of storages. They heard some voices and saw some people leave the buildings, based on their clothing servants, but perhaps they too passed for a couple of servants, as no one paid them any attention.

"Let's start walking," Hikaru whispered. "No point just to stand around here."

They had walked but a little when they saw a group of trees ahead, some kind of a pine grove. They ran there, and stopped to hide among the trees.

"Do you know this place at all?" Hikaru asked his companion, who shook his head.

"No, but given that we came from the western side, the main gate should be in that direction," he said, pointing with his hand. "Let's go that way. If we behave as if we have some business here, surely no one will care about us."

"To the Suzaku gate?" Hikaru glanced at him. "Are we leaving right away?"

"What, you planning to move in here? Don't be stupid. We'll just stroll through the place, head for the gate, and leave through it. Isn't that something?"

"I'm a bit disappointed in you. You really should aim higher than just walking through a gate." Hikaru was looking around with a thoughtful expression. "I think…"

"Yeah?"

"How about heading to the Inner Palace?"

"…you've got to be kidding. For one thing, do you even know where it is? For another, you won't be able to enter there as easily as we came here, and thirdly… if you are caught, trouble doesn't even _begin_ to describe it."

"You are boring," Hikaru stated. "I just came here, I'm not leaving before I see around a bit more. Let's go." He started walking through the pine grove, and Tetsuo followed him, shaking his head.

"You do what you want, but I'll go to the gate."

Hikaru shrugged. "As you will. I can go to the Dairi alone. Your miss."

"If you are able to set one foot in there I'll be your servant for the rest of the year, Your Wannabe Lordship," Tetsuo snorted.

Hikaru shot him a grin. "You are on!" And he shot off.

Tetsuo stared after him. "I didn't really mean that, you know!" he called after Hikaru, but the boy didn't stop. Most likely didn't hear him at all.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. The smart thing to do was to leave the idiot to his own devices. Just head to the Suzaku gate and leave the place while he still could.

But. Kimihiro would kill him if he came out of this place without Hikaru. He sighed again, and shaking his head at himself for being an even greater idiot not leaving when he knew he should, he set out to follow the boy.

.

Coming out of the pine grove Hikaru slowed down. Rushing around like that might seem suspicious. Tetsuo had a point; as long as he behaved in a self-confident manner, as if he knew exactly where he was and where he was going to, all would go well. Probably.

Of course, he didn't have a clue where he was going to. He just walked forward, hoping his shabby appearance wouldn't attract too much attention. He made sure not turn to the direction where Tetsuo had said the main gate to be, though.

Being in the Greater Palace, the Daidairi, was surprisingly similar to being in the city. There were straight streets crossing each other between walled enclosures where the buildings were. Hikaru chose randomly a direction and walked on. There were gates in the walls at times, and he passed them wondering where they would lead. None of the places seemed very important, though, like the Inner Palace where the emperor's residential quarters were.

That thought did give him a pause. He had been talking about going to the Inner Palace as something of a joke, really, but the way Tetsuo had deemed it impossible right away, had really annoyed him, and… well. There he was. But even he wasn't really stupid enough not to realize that trying to enter the buildings with the emperor's private chambers was a bad idea, with capital letters. But at least he would find the place, if he just could, and… maybe take a peek inside? He didn't really know what he thought he would accomplish in this place, but the overall excitement of doing something new, something he could later boast about to Akari, was enough to drive him on.

They had obviously entered the place from the storage area, but now he was reaching the more refined parts. He was walking round a big block, and looking at the wall and the gates in it, grander than any he had yet passed, his heartbeat quickened. There were more people coming and going around, and some did give him weird looks, but he paid them no attention. He came to another gate and stopped. Then, drawing a deep breath, he turned to walk in through it.

"Where do you think you are going?" a voice came from behind him.

Hikaru turned, and, seeing a noble's clothes reminded himself that he was supposed to be just a simple, well-behaving, _respectful_ servant running on his business, and gave a low bow. "This humble person…" he started, but was cut off.

"Definitely doesn't look like he has any business entering the Dairi."

Hikaru's heart thumbed, so he was on the right track! He bowed again, even deeper. "I am sorry to most regretfully to inform your most eminent highclassiness that I have extremely important and totally momentous reasons for reaching this eminenceful place, and…"

"Do _you_ even understand what you are saying?" he was cut off again.

Hikaru looked up, and realized that although a noble, this person wasn't any older than he himself. He was staring at Hikaru with a frown that was at the same time suspicious and a little haughty, and all thoughts about respect and good behavior vanished from his mind.

"I just wanted to take a peek," he stated, straightening his back. "Is it a crime?"

The other raised his eyebrows. "You are not… how should I put it, quite dressed for the occasion." He looked at Hikaru with a tilted head, looking a little puzzled. "You _are_ a commoner, aren't you? You have to be, who in their right mind would dress like that otherwise… and yet you are here. You've really got some cheek. But I don't think your little excursion will go on much longer…"

"Wha…" Hikaru started to say, but suddenly a heavy hand settled on his shoulder and spun him around. He found himself face to face with two palace guards. The expressions they were wearing were not pleased. "What on earth is this, Akira-sama?" one of them asked.

The boy shrugged. "I have no idea. I saw him here, clearly planning to enter the Inner Palace."

"And what's your business here?" the man holding Hikaru asked, and as the boy didn't know what to reply, shook him so that his teeth rattled. "Answer!"

"No, uh… I, nothing, that is…"

"There you are!" a new voice exclaimed. "I am awfully sorry, good sirs, awfully sorry! I should have kept a better eye on him."

Seldom had Tetsuo's appearance made Hikaru so happy. The older boy reached them and came to a stop behind Hikaru. The guard was still grasping the boy's shirt and holding him up so high that his toes barely touched the ground. Tetsuo placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders and gently drew him toward himself, while bowing again. "Awfully sorry, good sirs. Please don't be angry at him, he doesn't know what he does, he's a little simple, you see, and…"

"Still, he shouldn't be here, and neither should you," the guard said, but still released his hold of Hikaru's shirt. "Such impudence! You'd deserve to be whipped, both of you!"

"Yes, sir, certainly sir," Tetsuo went on, still bowing. He grasped Hikaru's head and forced the boy to bow as well. "We were just delivering some firewood when he left on his own way. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, we will be going right away…" He started backing away, dragging Hikaru with him.

"Not so fast!" one of the guards cried out. "We are not done with you yet."

"Oh, don't waste your time," the boy they'd called Akira-sama said. He had been following the scene with a little frown. "I talked a little with the boy, it is clear he is not very bright. Just see them out."

"As you say." The guards gave him a small bow. "Your father is waiting for you," one of them went on. "You shouldn't let this incident delay you any further."

"Of course." And Akira went his way with a little nod at the guards. He didn't give the two common boys even a glance, and so didn't see the way Hikaru's face was turning bright red under Tetsuo's hand.

.

Tetsuo didn't remove his hand from his friend's mouth before they were out of the palace area and the guards, who hadn't been too gentle while escorting them out, had went their way.

"Not very bright!" Hikaru yelled and spun around on his heels to shake a fist at the Suzaku gate. "I'll show that little…!"

"You will do no such things," Tetsuo stated and spun him around again. "All things considered, you should be thankful for that guy. Who knows where we'd be now if he hadn't told them to let us go. And besides, he's right. You _are_ not very bright, are you?"

"What do you…!" Hikaru turned his fists at his friend, but right then Kimihiro rushed to the place.

"Are you alright? I can't believe you two, what did you think you were doing!"

Tetsuo gave him a lazy grin. "Just having some fun." Once again he ruffled Hikaru's head. "Though this guy was determined to make sure it wouldn't end well." Hikaru attempted to punch him again, but he evaded easily.

"Well, at least you came out in one piece," Kimihiro stated with a relieved sigh. "Come, let's go and…"

"I'm not going anywhere with you two!" Hikaru yelled and stomped away.

"Should we go after him?" Kimihiro asked.

"No." Tetsuo shook his head. "Let him blow off some steam."

Hikaru marched on in the middle of the wide Suzaku Avenue, completely oblivious to the looks he was getting from other people as he went on with no concern about who or what was in his way.

Not very bright, huh? What an annoying guy, and Tetsuo agreeing with him! A little voice tried to whisper to him that what he had been doing truly wasn't very bright, but he silenced it angrily. If he wanted common sense, he'd talk with his mother.

He just hated his life these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm sorry. Akira is not going to be in this fic. He can't! He and Hikaru meet in the sequel, you see. And the reason they don't talk about this little episode when they do meet properly is that they don't recognize each other – a few years have passed, after all, and this was a very short meeting. If you think Akira should recognize Hikarus yellow bangs, well... in my imagination, his hair is all black here. You see, I think he dyes his bangs, and he'd hardly be doing that in the Heian age, so... No yellow bangs. Everyone's hairdo is what was considered normal back then. Except Sai's... and he's going to yet hear about it, I'm afraid.
> 
> But in the next chapter Sai and Hikaru finally meet!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a little mistake in the previous chapter, saying Hikaru's twelve, when he's actually thirteen. (Or… most likely he is still really twelve, but the way they counted age in the Heian period he'd be thirteen now that the year has changed.) Fixed it now...
> 
> A note about the characters: there's a bunch in the fic that aren't in the manga, but don't worry about them. The one you should keep track of is Nobunori. I'm trying to keep track of him too. *frown* Slick guy, he totally wasn't at all honest with me about who he is when I started writing this fic. But anyway, the other OC's are mainly just a part of the setting. …except Akitada, of course. I'm not sure if he counts as an OC, though, but we know practically nothing about him, so… kinda.  
> Oh, and I didn't come up with Akitada's name. Sugawara no Akitada is the name given in the Gorgeous Characters Guide for Sai's rival.

While Hikaru might have found his life quite miserable, Sai couldn't have been happier with the turn his life had taken. Ever since the poetry gathering he had not lacked people to play go with. This time he was again visiting a man he had met that evening, an elderly courtier called Watanabe no Tadatsuna. The old man's skill was average, at best, but what he lacked in skill he made up in passion. Unfortunately, his other passion seemed to be talking, and often Sai wondered if he possibly couldn't be a much better go player, if he just could keep his thoughts on the game instead of starting to babble of one thing or another before the game was even half-way through.

"And once spring comes," Tadatsuna was saying, "I will be sure to plant some of those beautiful flowers in my garden. What do you say, wouldn't they look lovely by the pond in the eastern part?"

"Certainly," Sai said, making his move. In truth he hadn't been really listening, for he saw on the board an extremely intriguing shape taking place, and he wondered if Tadatsuna had noticed it too, or if he possibly had a chance to turn it into his favor. Most likely, for the old man didn't seem to have thoughts for much more than his flowers at the moment.

"Yes, yes," Tadatsuna said giving the board a cursory glance before placing his stone down. "It will be most charming. Just like my grandfather's old garden – my mother's father's on the Third Avenue. Have told you about it? It was a magnificent place, but then those young fools renovated it to be more 'up-to-date'." He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Just proves one can go too long with just about anything. Say, how is your garden? I am sure it must be a most tasteful place. Where did you live again? On the Fifth Avenue, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Sai nodded absentmindedly. Playing a _keima_ looked liked an obvious move there, but… He remembered the game his father had sent him, and the move the stranger had played against his father. Normally he wouldn't have even thought about playing _hane_ in a place like that, but given the position of the stones in the lower left, perhaps it was worth it. He placed down his stone and watched thoughtfully the board. Suddenly, as if feeling his opponent's eyes upon him, he looked up with a start to see Tadatsuna watching him in silence.

"I…I am sorry, did you say something?"

Smiling at his startled expression the old man shook his head. "No, no… it is just so enjoyable to see young people truly swept away with the game. I can't help feeling go doesn't get quite the appreciation it deserves these days."

"Truly? I haven't noticed…"

Tadatsuna looked down at the board as well. He watched it a while, and frowned then. "Oh my," he said, clicking angrily with his tongue, "it seems I should be paying more attention. You are taking advantage of my carelessness. How inconsiderate." He looked up at Sai, pretending to be stern, but the smile in his eyes betrayed him. Sai smiled back at him.

"It is not yet too late for you to make a comeback," he said.

"Against you?" Tadatsuna snorted. "But never say Watanabe no Tadatsuna is one to give up easily!"

The game did end in Sai's overwhelming victory, as the old man simply refused to surrender, and once it was over, they started a new one.

"This time," Tadatsuna stated, looking sternly down at the board and making a sharp movement that made his wide sleeves fly, "this time I will not allow my thoughts to wander."

But it did not take long before the sound of a warbler brought to his mind a childhood trip to a nearby lake to listen to cuckoos, and Sai was in for another easy win.

.

Next day as Sai left the University with his cousin, he told him excitedly about the games he had played the previous day. Nobunori smiled a little at his enthusiasm.

"I would understand it," he said, "if you were talking about the game you played against Akitada-sama, but Watanabe no Tadatsuna? He's so absentminded even I can beat him easily."

"You underrate him! His go is very solid, he can make the most surprising moves…"

"Mainly out of sheer absentmindedness, I'm sure," Nobunori put in.

"Oh, hush!" Sai waved his fan at him. "He plays such fun go. I find myself making completely new moves always when I play against him. Like, for example, yesterday…" And he launched into a longwinded explanation of the _hane_ he had played.

...

After the near disastrous little adventure at the palace, Hikaru had spent a few days rather quietly at home, so complacently doing all his chores and agreeing to go to meet a potential master with his father, that his mother got afraid he had got sick. Now, he was working for a salt merchant – mainly just running errands. He didn't complain, though. It wasn't a particularly interesting job, but not too heavy, either, and at least he got to spend much time on his own, and no one cared if he was shabby or not.

The work hadn't been going too well, though. He found the addresses almost impossible to comprehend, and had so far taken three out of five deliveries to wrong places. Today was his last chance – and luckily this place had been easy to find.

Well, he had had to ask the way a few times. Apart from that, it had been easy.

The sky was turning darker and darker, and he hurried his steps. There was still one delivery he was supposed to make, and the salt merchant wanted it to be done before rain started. Hikaru didn't really think it was so important, but whatever. He thought that this time he probably should try to keep a job a little longer, just to spare his parents' nerves.

This errand had taken him a bit closer to the palace than he would have liked. He had been in an unusually happy mood that day, compared to his mood on the past days, if not weeks, but the sight of the palace walls had dampened it a little. He could still hear the words _not very bright_ echo in his ears, and they still made his blood boil. He turned his back to the palace, and started strolling back toward the salt merchant's place.

A bit down the avenue his attention fixed on a couple of young nobles that were leaving the university. Otherwise there wasn't anything peculiar about them, but one of them had so very long hair that for a moment Hikaru wondered if he was in fact a lady. He was wearing men's clothes, though, and what kind of a lady would be walking on foot on the streets, for everyone to see?

He hurried on, curious, and as he got closer he saw that the two really were both male. He walked by their side a moment, far enough not to attract attention, and watched them from the corner of his eye, amused. What a pain hair like that had to be! How could anyone voluntarily wear his hair like that? This guy had to be a genuine weirdo. He was so girly also otherwise, one would have thought he'd try to look at least a bit more manly, instead of growing his hair out like that.

Chuckling to himself, Hikaru was about to turn away, when a piece of conversation between the two caught his ear.

"I don't know," the normal-looking one was saying. "I think I would have played _keima_ in that position."

Keima? He stopped. Wasn't that a go move?

"I know!" the long-haired one exclaimed, waving excitedly with his fan. "That's just what I mean! _Anyone_ would have played _keima_ there! And if we just keep on playing the same, conventional moves all the time again, how will the game ever evolve? I thought trying something new, and _hane_ seemed like a perfect alternative!"

It was definitely go they were talking about. Trying to be as inconspicuous as he could, Hikaru edged himself a little closer to be able to hear better.

"And did it work?"

"Not as well as it could have, but it led to an interesting position. You see…" He went on exclaiming how the game had proceeded, and Hikaru strained his hearing not to miss anything. He told himself he was being silly, that he wasn't interested in go anymore, and these two might get angry if they noticed he was listening in – and hadn't he had enough trouble with nobles lately? – but still he kept on following them as quietly as he could.

He didn't quite understand everything, but knew enough of go to get the gist of it. And true enough, it sounded really intriguing. He could see the board in his eyes, the black and white stones on it. He had never got to as advanced go problems as this in his short studies, but that didn't stop his mind from trying to work it out.

"You are right, that is something," one of the guys was saying. "So what did you do?"

"Approached at lower left, 4-7. It…"

"There? Why would you go there? I'd have played, perhaps, I don't know, something like 15-9, but lower left?"

"15-9 is alright, I guess," the long-haired guy said, and Hikaru could almost hear the thoughtful frown in his voice. "But it's a bit timid. It's better…"

"Timid!" the other exclaimed. "You got to be joking. It's a very sensible move, it…"

"Sensible, yes, but still…"

And they went on arguing. Hikaru walked behind them, pondering on the correct move as well. Deep in his thoughts he was getting maybe a little too close to the two, but they were so concentrated on their argument that they noticed nothing.

He couldn't really figure out the point with 4-7. The other move sounded, yes, more sensible to him, but it didn't feel quite good either. Maybe they were all concentrating on the wrong part of the game? He thought a moment.

"Yeah," he said then aloud to himself. "7-13. That's where I'd go."

The two in front of him came to an abrupt stop, and turned to look behind in surprise.

 _Uh-oh_ , he thought, standing there frozen and staring at the two astonished faces.

"Wha…what?" the normal one uttered, and he had such a comical look on his face that Hikaru almost started laughing.

"I said I'd play 7-13," he said a little cockily, his common sense abandoning him once again. "So what do you think?"

"You… you…" the man's face was turning bright red, but suddenly his companion burst into laughter.

"It's not bad," he said, chuckling behind his fan. "Not bad at all, though it does have some weaknesses."

"I don't believe this…" the other muttered, rolling his eyes upward. "Run back to your gutter, boy," he snapped at Hikaru and turned away, placing a hand on his comrade's arm. "Come, let's go."

Hikaru did almost turn and run away, suddenly remembering that making the Good People angry at you might be one of those things that weren't very bright. But a quick "wait!" and a hand grasping his arm stopped him.

He looked back in surprise and saw the strange long-haired guy smiling at him. "Don't go yet! Say, you play go?"

"Sai, for gods' sake!" the other still kept his hold in his companion's arm and tried to pull him away. "You can't be serious! Look at him, he's just some dirty street rat…"

"Am not dirty!" Hikaru exclaimed, and it was mainly true.

Sai shot a glare at his companion. "Hush now, Nobunori, don't be so harsh! Listen," he turned to Hikaru again. "It's obvious you do play go. Would you like a game?"

Hikaru gaped at him. So did Nobunori.

"Like, with…you?"

Sai nodded. "We're still close to the university," he said turning to his friend who had released his arm in his astonishment. "Do you think we could use the board at the Faculty of Fine Arts?"

"Cert… I mean, you, what?" Nobunori stuttered. "You are going to take this... _this creature_ to the _university_ to play _go_ with him?"

Sai nodded happily. "It will be so interesting. I've never played with someone from his social class before, I want to see what kind of go he plays. Come."

The last he said to Hikaru, and still holding the boy's arm started walking onward. Hikaru didn't quite understand what was happening, but he went along. For one thing, he was really curious about how things would turn out, and for another… the way this weirdo's companion kept on opening and closing his mouth as if he were one of the fishes Hikaru's father had hauled out of the river was quite amusing. He wanted to see how far he could take this.

Sai walked on briskly, a happy smile playing on his lips, and it didn't take long for the three of them to reach the university. Nobunori kept on shaking his head as they entered the Faculty of Fine Arts. "I sure hope no one sees us," he muttered, but Sai didn't even hear him.

"Oh, good!" Sai exclaimed happily. "There's no one here, so we can play in peace. Come, sit down." While Hikaru did as he was ordered he went out of the room, but returned soon with a go board. "You can play black. How many handicap stones do you want?"

"I…" Hikaru had been about to say he didn't _want_ any, but came then to think of the first time he had played with the old merchant, pretending to know what he was doing, and thought that maybe it was smarter to be honest this time. "I don't know. How many can I have?"

Sai laughed. "How about you take five."

(" _I_ get five stones against you. Do you think he's at my level?" Nobunori muttered in the background, but was ignored.)

Hikaru swallowed as he watched the board in front of him. The whole thing had happened so suddenly. He had a strange feeling that he had to be dreaming, once again. How else would something like this happen? Then again, if it was a dream, he would be able to play amazing go, as in all his dreams.

Somehow he had a bad feeling that this wasn't a dream, and his go would be anything but amazing. He glanced at the other guy, the angrier one, and saw that he was staring at him with only half hidden contempt. Feeling quite uncomfortable, he took a few stones in his hand, but hesitated before placing them on the board. What was he doing? Hadn't he been going to stop playing altogether? And now there he was, most likely about to get in trouble again.

His eyes fell on the strange guy on the other side of the go board. This was truly an odd fellow, younger than he had thought, Hikaru suddenly realized, perhaps just sixteen or seventeen. A moment Hikaru paused, wondering if the whole thing was just a practical joke of a bored high-class teenager – it went against everything he knew about the order of the universe for one of the Good People to do something like this. He gave his opponent a searching look, trying to find out any signs of trickery, but saw nothing. For a moment their gazes met, and the weird youth gave him a small encouraging nod.

Hikaru bit his teeth strongly together. A joke or not, he would show them. He would do his best, and _show_ them, especially that guy who was looking at him as if he were something the dog brought in. He did have five stones, and even if he wasn't good, that was plenty. Or so he thought. Of course, he hadn't quite realized that Heihachi had never played anything but teaching games with him.

He placed his handicap stones on the board, and so the game started.

Hikaru had decided to do his best, and that was what he did. His whole concentration was focused on that board. He tried to think as far ahead as he could, placing the stones down carefully. The uncomfortable feeling was beginning to turn into excitement. To think that he had thought his first game with Heihachi to be something important! Then what about this? He couldn't even imagine what would happen if these two were impressed enough by him. No, _this_ was something he couldn't afford to mess up. Stone after stone he built his play, planning to take out all the stones white had in the upper left corner. His opponent wasn't even bothering to protect them. Grinning, Hikaru picked four white stones from the board and placed them among his prisoners. Not bad, that!

Sai seemed to be quite unperturbed by what had happened. He went on playing, calmly, and Hikaru turned to look at the corner where he was concentrating on. He couldn't really figure out what his opponent was doing there, but he could see that his corner stone was in danger, and rushed to save it. Having accomplished that, he set out planning how to capture more stones from his opponent in that corner.

The game went on. Nobunori watched it at first with mild, if well-hidden, interest, but soon he grew annoyed about it.

"Oy, Sai, are you really going to play this game to the end?" he muttered to his friend.

Sai nodded. "Of course."

"What, you think he should surrender already?" Hikaru put in. Nobunori rolled his eyes.

"I don't believe this," he muttered.

Sai smiled, but his attention was completely on the board. "You've said that before," he stated. "Take it easy, I don't think this lasts long."

"It had better not," Nobunori snorted. "I should be home already, instead of wasting my time here."

Hikaru snapped down a stone. "Who's stopping you from leaving?"

Nobunori gave him a dark look. "Impudent brat," he muttered quietly to himself.

Hikaru thought he was doing pretty well. Feeling confident he set out to another attack, but then something caught his attention on the board. The shape of the white stones looked peculiar to him. He played his move, but his hand hesitated a moment before letting go of the stone. Was he making a mistake?

Sai played his move, and still Hikaru couldn't quite figure out what was going on. He just knew he had a bad feeling about that shape, and he should do something about it. If he only knew what.

He played on as he had planned. A few moves went by, and suddenly his eyes widened. He wasn't quite sure, but it seemed to him that the connection white had made… had it really severed his stones that badly? Suddenly it seemed there was no move left for him to make.

Certainly there must be something. He couldn't possibly lose so many stones in one go. He didn't even want to count them. He stopped to consider. Maybe if he managed to kill the white stones near the center… but how would he do that? There were no vacancies for him to fill, no way to threaten those stones. So maybe the lower right… but no, all the plans he made faced a brick wall he couldn't get over.

He felt cold sweat forming on his brows. There was no way he was going to lose like this. No way.

"Are you finally catching on, boy?" Nobunori, who had been lying on the floor, bored, straightened his back. "There's nothing you can do, nothing you've been able to do during the whole game. Come now, Sai, see what waste of time this is!" He turned to his cousin. "The boy barely knows how the game is played! The mistakes he makes just make me wince!"

"True." Sai nodded, a pensive look on his face, and Hikaru felt his heart sink. Surely he couldn't be that bad?

"How long have you been playing, boy?" Sai asked.

Hikaru shrugged, unhappily. "A little while. There was this old guy who started teaching me a couple of months ago."

"A couple of months?" Sai's eyebrows rose. "Do you go to him often?"

"No," Hikaru said tersely. "He died a month ago."

"And during this time…" Sai urged him on.

"Well, whatcha think?" Hikaru snapped angrily. "What's the point for someone like me to play go, anyway?"

"Exactly my thoughts," Nobunori started to say, but Sai cut him off.

"You have lost your teacher," he said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry about that. But… how about I start teaching you?"

Hikaru stared at him. Nobunori stared at him. Outside, they could hear the rain starting to fall. That was the only sound there was.

Nobunori was the first to compose himself. "Look now!" he exclaimed and jumped to his feet. "Sai, you… you… can't! You just can't. I… come here." He grasped his cousin's arm and dragged him aside. "What do you think you are doing?" he whispered fervently. "You can't take some common brat as your student! Maybe if he at least was a merchant's son, or something, but someone like him! Do you understand what that would do to your reputation?"

"I'm not interested in my reputation," Sai answered with a smile. "The boy has talent, he… "

"Talent!" Nobunori snorted.

"Shhh! He does. For so little training, that wasn't such a bad game. I _want_ to teach him." He turned to Hikaru who was still sitting on the floor, dumbfounded. "So what do you say, boy? Do you want to learn?"

"You are joking, right?"

"Yes he is!" Nobunori cried out at the same time as Sai said, "No, I'm not. Do you want to learn?" he repeated his question.

Hikaru swallowed. Nodded. "Yeah," he whispered. "I do."

"It's settled then." Sai smiled widely, and gave then a start. "Oh, I've never introduced myself, have I? I'm Fujiwara no Sai." He bowed a little. Nobunori looked like he was about to throw his hat on the floor and start tearing his hair. "Pleased to meet you."

"Um, yes, yeah." Hikaru bowed as well, still kneeling on the floor. "Pleased to meet you too. I'm Hikaru."

"Well, Hikaru, do you think we can start tomorrow? Now I'm afraid I must spend the rest of the evening trying to calm down my poor cousin, who looks like he is about to get some kind of an attack."

Nobunori shot him a dark look.

"Sure!" Hikaru said. "Though I've got work, but I'm sure…" He paused. "Oh shit," he uttered quietly. "I've got work." And he had been supposed to return directly to the salt merchant. How long had the game taken? He wasn't sure. And now it was raining, too, and the salt merchant had wanted to have his stuff delivered before the rain started. He grimaced. "Actually it might be I _don't_ have work."

"Come in the evening, if you can." Sai was watching him a little worriedly. "I'll have to spend the day at the university, I'm afraid."

"I thought you were invited to the…" Nobunori started to say, but once again he was cut off.

"I'll send them a message and say that unfortunately I won't be able to come, after all. Listen, I live in the right capital, Jo five, Bo nine, Cho thirteen. Come when you can."

...

Things went as Hikaru had feared. As he returned to the salt merchant he received quite a yelling and he was informed he wouldn't have to be coming back again. Another yelling was in order when he returned home and told the news. In fact, this time he would have surely got more than just yelling, but his mother intervened and simply sent him to bed without supper.

He didn't mind though. He was so excited he most likely wouldn't have been able to eat anything. He wanted to talk to someone, tell all that had happened, but he certainly couldn't tell anything to his parents. He just could imagine how his father would blow up if he knew he'd lost the job because he'd been playing go. He thought about Akari, but it would have been hard to sneak to her unnoticed this time of the day. And, as with the old merchant, he wasn't sure he wanted to share this with her.

He thought about that strange guy with his long hair. Sai? What kind of a teacher would he be? Was he really serious about this? He didn't quite dare to believe it – but he wanted to, so very much.

"Guess what, ojiisan?" he whispered into the dark. "I got a new teacher, and he's a noble. Whatcha think about that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! A review a day keeps the author at bay… or, eh… something like that.
> 
> (Btw, I just can't make the center tag work here. No clue why.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 

Next day, Hikaru was grounded. Big surprise. He wasn't about to let it stop him, though.

He behaved the whole day in an exemplary manner. Once evening came, he went to his room – he _did_ like this old house, he actually had a whole room of his own there! – for a nap, he said. Instead he jumped out through a window and set out.

He hoped he wasn't late. He hadn't wanted to leave too early, to lull his parents into believing he wasn't even thinking about going anywhere, but he didn't really know how long it would take him to reach Sai's home. He ran across the streets. Sai lived in the eastern part of the city, and he at its very western edge, so there was some distance to be covered.

How was the address again? Jo five, Bo nine, Cho thirteen, yeah. He still remembered it. He ran through the Suzaku Avenue, counting the streets that started from it. _That_ should be the correct one, right? He dashed off down the street.

It wasn't the correct one. He had mixed up the jo and bo once again. In the end he had no choice but to ask the way again. He claimed he was delivering something – perhaps a blatant lie, as he wasn't carrying anything, but still he was guided on the right way. Finally he stood behind the gate of Sai's home, panting.

He drew a deep breath, eyeing the gate thoughtfully. He wondered which entrance he should use – he remembered that irritating guy's words from the day before, how he had worried about the weirdo's reputation. He snorted. But nevertheless, it might not be a bad idea to make sure he wouldn't start this relationship by annoying his new teacher. Maybe, he came to think, and it worried him a little, those two had been talking last night, and the annoying cousin had managed to turn Sai's head.

So he headed to a back gate. Some servant girl was just passing through it, and Hikaru ran after her.

"Sorry," he said as the girl turned to look at him questionably. "My name's Hikaru, I'm here to meet Fujiwara no Sai… sama."

The questioning look turned to a somewhat incredulous one.

"It's… it's about… you know, he plays go, and…" Hikaru wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell people Sai had decided to start teaching him or not, but as soon as he mentioned the word 'go', the girl's expression brightened. "Go, huh," she said, with a small knowing smile, as if that explained all peculiar things that might happen in this house. "Come in, I'll tell him you are here. Hikaru, was it?"

Hikaru nodded and followed her in, a little relieved but still quite nervous. As their new house was an abandoned home of aristocrats, he wasn't quite unfamiliar with places like this, but a house that had been abandoned for years couldn't quite be compared to one in use. And this place was much grander than their home. He got a feeling that this Sai must be from quite a prominent family – well, of course, he was a Fujiwara, but they were a large family with many branches, and not all of them had manors like this.

He didn't have to wait long before the girl returned and led him deeper into the house. They came to a large room where Sai was waiting for them. There was a beautifully painted screen by the wall that all the visitors conscientiously stopped to admire, but Hikaru didn't even notice it; the go board by which Sai had been sitting caught his attention immediately. As they entered the room Sai approached him with a wide smile on his face. It seemed he needn't have worried, Sai hadn't changed his mind overnight. His first words confirmed this.

"Hikaru! I have been waiting for you! Come, let's get started right away."

"I, umm…" Hikaru was a little taken aback by his eagerness. He felt the servant girl's gaze on himself, and could guess how fervently she was wondering who he could be – some noble in disguise or something – and he felt himself blush a little. Recalling his decision to be at his best manners not to jeopardize this new chance, he gave a low bow. "I'm honored to be here," he said.

"Yes, yes, come now." Sai took a hold of his arm and started pulling him toward the go board. "That's all, Ayaka, thank you," he said to the girl over his shoulder and she left them alone.

They sat down by the go board and Hikaru did his best not to fidget.

"The game we played yesterday," Sai was saying, "how about reviewing it? I find that one of the best ways to learn."

"Yeah. I guess. I mean, you're the teacher, so."

Hikaru watched marveling as Sai started to recreate their game on the board. He hadn't realized people could do things like that.

"Here," Sai said, not noticing his wondering gaze, "I think I know what you were planning to do here, but look, you leave your side wide open."

Hikaru turned his attention to what Sai was telling him. He had come here to learn, right? And so he would.

Once they finished reviewing the game, Sai wanted them to play another one. Hikaru started it much more carefully, trying to keep in mind everything Sai had said about his previous game. Not being so eager to capture the opponent's stones, keep track of the whole board, pay attention to all stones and all moves your opponent makes, even if they seem totally harmless… All this made him realize that he really wasn't at all certain what he was doing, and he said so. Sai just smiled that little enigmatic smile of his, and said it didn't matter – at this point he wouldn't, but he would learn. Hikaru frowned, finding that smile a little annoying.

"I know you could easily beat me up," he said, watching the game with a frown. "So why don't you?"

"I'm trying to teach you," Sai explained patiently, "not to 'beat you up', as you put it. This is a teaching game, and you might learn something out of it if you pay attention." He touched the board with his fan, calling Hikaru's attention back to it, and went on playing.

Hikaru lost this game, too, with a few _moku_ , but now he knew enough to realize that it was deliberate, and somehow this annoyed him. As Sai wanted to start reviewing this game, too, Hikaru shook his head. "I should be going," he said. "I'm afraid my parents will find out soon that I… I mean, I'm… expected back home soon. Can't we review it tomorrow?"

Sai's face fell, but he nodded. "Certainly. Can you come around the same time?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'll try anyway."

"Good." Sai gave him a smile. "It has been a pleasure to teach you, Hikaru. I hope we can study go together a long time."

"Well, yeah, thanks." Hikaru wasn't sure what to make of that – wasn't he the one doing the studying here? "It's been fun. I, eh, come back tomorrow."

On his way home he pondered on this very peculiar turn his life had taken. Not that he had much (or any) experience of nobles, but somehow this Sai didn't really fit the image he had. It wasn't just that crazy hair that was off. (It had taken all Hikaru's self-control not to ask why on earth he had such hair, but he knew he had been staring and was afraid Sai had noticed.) He thought about that irritating kid he had met at the palace, and Sai's cousin, Nobu-whatever his name was. They fit his idea much better. Annoying, arrogant jerks. He wouldn't have thought he'd ever have anything to do with them, voluntarily, at least. And there he was, private student of someone from the Fujiwara clan. Crazy.

It was later than he had realized. As he approached his home, he wondered if his parents had noticed he was gone. Most likely. And given how mad they were at him to begin with, he'd better come up with a plan, something to conciliate them, or this time he'd be in serious trouble.

He didn't bother to sneak into his room. He entered through the front door, and true enough, had barely stepped inside when his father appeared in front of him, landing such a blow on his ear that he almost fell down.

"Where have you been?" his father hollered, while his mother's worried shape appeared behind him. "I thought you were supposed to stay in your room!"

"I'm sorry I left without…" Hikaru started to say, rubbing his ear, but before he could finish, his father grasped his hair and started to drag him to his room.

"You impossible brat! I swear, if you ever…"

"Wait, wait!" Hikaru yelled, stumbling after him. "I… I got a job!"

"You… what?" His father stopped on his heels and turned to look at him in astonishment. Then his eyes narrowed, and he shook Hikaru's head. "If you think lies will help you this time, you are wrong."

"I'm not lying! You see, I was feeling bad the way I blew up everything, and I thought I'd try to find something on my own."

"And what did you find?" his father asked. "Tell me!"

"I'm going to work for this noble, he's a Fujiwara, lives on the fifth street, and you see, I'll just do all kinda little things, run errands and so, and…"

The look his father gave him was beyond incredulous. "How in all hells did you manage that?"

"Well, I know someone, who, you know, knows someone, and I was kind of on probation today, but I'm going there tomorrow again, and…"

"Tomorrow? What time?"

"In the evening, around the same time as today."

"Fine." Finally his father let go of his hair, and he rubbed his aching scalp. "We'll go there together."

Hikaru froze. "Together?"

"Of course. You are my son, I need to see what you are up to."

"Yeah. Sure." Hikaru managed a weak smile. "Tomorrow, then."

Still with quite a dark look on his face, his father let him go.

"Hikaru?" his mother said, approaching him. "Is it really true?"

He felt his smile grow even weaker. "Yeah, sure."

She smiled at him. "That's wonderful, Hikaru. I'm so proud of you."

"Mmm. I… I think I'll go sleep now, ok?" he muttered and made his escape.

"Are you hungry?" his mother called after him.

"I'm fine," he yelled back, though in truth he felt a bit hungry. He just didn't want to stay any longer with his mother right then.

.

Next evening arrived. Hikaru had waited it with very mixed feelings. He would have wanted to ran to Sai's place earlier on the day and explain everything, and ask if he possibly could get some kind of a job, or if they could at least claim he had a one, but his father had taken him to fish early in the morning, and had kept careful eye on him the whole day.

When they were walking to the mansion where Sai lived, Hikaru wondered how he'd ever talk his way out of this. He didn't know what worried him more, how his father would react when he found out the truth, or what Sai would say. They reached the place, and Hikaru led his father to the back gate he had used. It was closed, and he knocked on it. He didn't know the woman who came to open, and obviously the woman had no idea who he was. He licked his lips. "Umm… is Ayaka here?" he asked, getting a sudden, desperate idea.

The woman nodded and went to get the girl. She did recognize Hikaru as soon as she saw him. "Oh, you are here already! Master will be happy you came so early."

Her cheerful greeting seemed to baffle his father. Hikaru grinned at the girl. "Great. Could you tell him that I'm here with my father. He was, um, curious about the job I've got here. You know. The job."

Ayaka stared at him a moment before catching on. She nodded, the corner of her mouth twitching a little. "Come in."

They entered the house, and Hikaru was amused to note how his father's demeanor was crumbling and how nervous he was beginning to look, though he tried to hide it.

Ayaka came soon to get them and led them to a different room than where Hikaru had been last time, much smaller, and it seemed to be some kind of a study, with a table with writing utensils and some papers on it. Sai was there, sitting behind the table, and he smiled as he saw Hikaru. Hikaru stopped and was about to bow, but then he realized his father was kneeling, and did so himself.

"It's good to see you again, Hikaru," Sai said. "I take it this is your father?"

"Ye…" Hikaru started, but his father cut him off.

"One is most awed to be in your presence, my lord. This humble person really is this boy's father, Masao by name," he declared.

"Did you have some questions concerning Hikaru's… job here?"

"I was merely wondering what kind of work he could possibly have found in an illustrious place like this," Hikaru's father said, bowing down so deep his forehead touched the floor. "I am afraid he might not be up to the tasks you've given him."

Hikaru tried to catch Sai's eye despite bowing down, but his teacher wasn't looking at him.

"You should have more confidence in your son," Sai stated. "His performance yesterday left nothing to be desired. He seems to be a bright lad, and I am happy to take him to my service. You should not worry, he won't have too demanding tasks."

"I… I see. One wonders…" he fell silent.

"Yes?" Sai prompted him on.

"One would not dare to presume, but…does he…"

"Oh, the payment? Yes, of course. It does depend on the work he does, and the quality of it, of course, but you should not worry. I am certain you won't be disappointed. And now, Hikaru…"

He looked at Hikaru, who bowed down. "Yes, umh, my lord?"

"It's time to get started."

This was the cue for Hikaru's father to leave, and he took it.

Once the two of them were left alone, Sai gave Hikaru an amused look. "So, what is this? Am I supposed to pay you for teaching you go?"

"I…" Hikaru shifted uncomfortably on the floor where he was still kneeling. "I'm sorry about that," he muttered. "It's just that my dad wouldn't want me to waste time learning go, and I should get some kind of a job, but I just can't keep them, and… well," he looked up at Sai. "Do you think I could get some work here? Anything at all?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something." Sai frowned. "Wouldn't want you to waste time learning go," he echoed Hikaru's words. "What a peculiar notion."

"But he's right, I guess." Hikaru sighed. "I really don't know why I'm learning it, anyway."

"How can you say so?" Sai exclaimed. "What could be more important than go?"

"Well, I don't know." Hikaru's voice got a sarcastic tone. "Having food to eat, maybe? A home to sleep in? Not everyone gets all they need carried to them on gold plates."

Sai was silent a long moment. "I guess I never asked where you come from," he said finally. "You are not from a wealthy family?"

Hikaru snorted. "That much should be obvious." He sighed again. "I really should be working for my living, and not playing games…"

"What does your father do?"

"He's a fisherman," Hikaru said with an even deeper sigh.

"Aren't you going to be one too, then?"

"Well, I… I don't know." Hikaru's hand moved to scratch his head in embarrassment, but he stopped it. "I don't care about fishing that much. Or about fishes either, what comes to that."

Sai nodded seriously. "I can understand you. I like to watch the colorful fishes in our ponds, but those that swim in the rivers? They're almost as disgusting as toads."

"Toads?" Hikaru blinked. "What do they have to do with…"

"Nothing, nothing." Sai waved his hand dismissively, and perhaps a little embarrassedly. "I just don't like toads. But I'll see to it that you'll get some work here. I mean, I am _not_ going to pay you for learning go, even though it is a great thing to do."

"That's great." Hikaru grinned, but dropped then his gaze to the ground. "I mean, I'm very thankful, my lord." He bowed down again, hands on the floor.

"Psh, stop that. Weren't we going to play? Come, let's get started."

.

And so it was all settled. From that day on, Hikaru spent most of his time at Sai's home, helping here and there where help was needed, and playing go with Sai in the evenings. After the excitement began to fade, he started to grow a little impatient. Time passed, one week after another, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he had learned, Sai seemed to be always as far ahead as before. If he was progressing, he didn't notice it. But he kept quiet. He did enjoy go, and his parents were more than happy with the wages he was bringing home, so he figured he'd better not lose this place.

"I think I know why you are doing this," he muttered darkly after one game. "You're just sadistic, and you like beating me." He was losing all the games (teaching games, but nevertheless) with three _moku_. It was beginning to grow tiresome, and he said as much.

"I thought that'd be approximately a suitable end score," Sai said a little defensively. "But if you don't like it, we can make it two _moku_ the next game."

And so it was. As they finished counting the territories and Hikaru saw the result, something snapped and he swiped angrily the board empty of stones. "You think that's funny?" he yelled, as Sai watched in shock the go stones spreading across the floor.

"Hikaru, that's…" he started to say, but right then someone entered the room. Hikaru froze, hand in midair and mouth open, as he saw Sai's second cousin coming. Nobunori stopped to watch the scene, and shook then his head. "It is nothing short of incredible that you are still doing this," he said to Sai. "You are truly stubborn. How haven't you given up yet?"

Sai smiled a little. He gave Hikaru a look, hoping the boy would have the sense to bow, but Hikaru was still too angry to even think about it. He met Sai's gaze with a glare.

"Do you have some reason to end the games like that?" the boy asked, deliberately ignoring the irritating newcomer.

"No…" Sai looked a little baffled, and shot an uneasy glance at Nobunori. "Not really, I just… thought it would make the games more interesting if I tried to end them up in the same points. The first two were just a coincidence, but…"

"Interesting?" Hikaru's voice was raising. "Yeah, I guess it's not interesting to play against me!"

"I… I didn't mean that! Of course it is, it's just… the next game…"

Nobunori bent down to pick up a white stone from the floor. "Figures," he muttered. "But you can hardly expect any manners from a brat of the common trash…"

"I am not…"!" Hikaru started to shout, but Sai raised his hands in a mollifying movement.

"Quiet, quiet now. Come, Hikaru, let's collect the stones and play a game, so Nobunori can see for himself."

"What?" Nobunori gave him a look. "Do you mean I have to watch another game by you two?"

Sai gave him a bright smile. "I'd be happy if you did," he said, and disarmed by that smile Nobunori had no choice but to sit down and watch.

Once they again had all the stones in their bowls and started the game, Hikaru could feel his cheeks burning a little. Not just because he was still angry, but also embarrassed. Why had that annoying guy had to come right then, right when he was having a fit? Of course he couldn't come on the previous day when Sai had actually complimented a move he had made.

They started the game, and as it proceeded Hikaru's cheeks burned even hotter. He wasn't doing his best, and he knew it. He didn't know why Sai insisted on his cousin to watch their game, but this surely wasn't it. He knew he was in trouble both in the upper and lower parts of the board – hell, he knew he was in trouble over the whole board. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that Sai was playing much more seriously. He'd be lucky to lose this game with just a few _moku_.

He lost it by ten, in the end.

"Well?" Sai said, sounding strangely smug as he turned to his cousin. Hikaru didn't bother to look at their audience as he stared miserably at the board. "What do you think?"

Nobunori was toying with his fan as he examined the board. The expression on his face was thoughtful. Then he shook his head. "How long is it again that you've been teaching him?"

"Not even two months yet," Sai answered. He looked at Hikaru with a smile and reached out with his fan, over the board, tapping the boy's head with it. "Don't look so sad, Hikaru. You played well."

Nobunori cleared his throat. "Well? Alright, alright!" he went on when Sai shot him a glare. "I admit, he played well for someone who's been studying the game such a short while. Really well," he added reluctantly.

"There! Hear, Hikaru? If _he_ admits you are playing well, then you'd better believe you are."

Hikaru gave him a slow smile. Then he nodded his head to Nobunori, changing the gesture half-way to a bow. "Than you very much, my lord," he said in his most respectful voice, and was rewarded with an annoyed glare.

"So, why don't you two play?" Sai exclaimed, and without waiting a reply moved away from the go board.

It took Nobunori a moment to realize he was really being addressed. "What? You want me to play with…Saaaii!" he wailed as Sai nodded happily. "Why do you have to draw me into your eccentricities?"

"I don't really think…" Hikaru too started to object, but Sai silenced them both with a wave of his fan.

"It will do you good, Hikaru! When one is learning go, one should play against as many different opponents as possible, and you are only playing me. And Nobunori, please, don't be so unreasonable. Besides, it's not bad for you either, to play against different people."

"While I agree with that in _theory_ , I don't quite think this…"

"Nobunori." Sai silenced him with a glance, and with a sigh, he gave up

"Fine. One game. Just one. And you owe me. You _really_ owe me. And if you ever let anyone know I've played a game against someone like this, you _will_ regret it. "

"Of course." Sai's smile was the sunniest as he watched his cousin sit on the other side of the go board.

It was true, playing Nobunori was very much different than playing against Sai. Hikaru hadn't really realized before how different styles people could have for playing the same game. Even so, he lost, pretty crushingly, and it ticked him a bit though he had been expecting it. Sai seemed a little annoyed too, giving his cousin one of his pouty glares. Nobunori just shrugged it away, but when Sai wanted to discuss their game, he did not leave but stayed at the side and even added some comments of his own.

"I guess we should stop for today," Sai finally said, and Hikaru nodded, relieved. He had never played go for quite as long as today, and he was beginning to grow really tired. "So," Sai went on, "when you come tomorrow, Hikaru, we..."

"Tomorrow?" Nobunori cut him off. "Now there, Sai, this is getting a bit too much even from you. Don't you remember what day it is tomorrow?"

Sai gave him a blank look and he gave a deep sigh, closing his eyes as if in great exasperation.

"It's the Festival of the Snake," Hikaru said helpfully. He knew that only because of his mother - usually he didn't pay much attention to such things, but she had been talking about it the day before, remembering the feast her late employer had arranged.

Nobunori gave first him and then Sai a look. "This is really too much," he said. "Even that boy knows..."

"Alright, alright," Sai cut him off, a little annoyed. "It just slipped my mind. I'm sorry, Hikaru, I guess we can't meet tomorrow. I have to go to the Kakugan-ji temple for the feast."

"I see... you think I'll have to come here at all?"

Sai shook his head. "Have a day off. You've been here very close to every day since we started, after all."

"I guess that'd be nice. I'll hang around with my friends." He thought of Akari. He hadn't seen the girl for a while, maybe it was time to have another go session with her.

.

When Hikaru came home that night his mother was waiting for him.

"Finally you are here, Hikaru!" she exclaimed as he came. "We have already eaten. Do you want something?"

"Yeah." Hikaru yawned. "I'll have a little snack, thanks. Then I go to sleep." He yawned again. "I'm so dead," he muttered.

"You had a long day today, son," his father said as he settled down for his snack.

"Yeah," Hikaru mumbled, mouth full of food. "Sa… I mean the lord's cousin came by, and there was, umm, a lot for me to do, and they just kept on playing so much go, and…"

"Go?" his father frowned at him. "You weren't wasting your time watching them play, were you?"

"No, of course not! Hikaru denied it vehemently. "Don't be silly," he added. "I had better things to do."

His father nodded, content with the reply, and Hikaru grinned inwardly. Better things, yes. Like playing himself.

Although the way he had lost to Nobunori did irk him, it _had_ been an interesting game, and as he lay awake in the night, Hikaru pondered on what Sai had said, about the necessity to play many different opponents. And so, early next morning, he sought out Akari and took her to the old go board which still was waiting in the abandoned house.

"So, what's it now?" Akari asked, a little peeved at the way she had been practically dumped for months. "Have you again learned a new way to play?"

Hikaru shook his head, staying perfectly calm, which really surprised her. "No. I have just started to really get into it." He was sitting by the go board, and when he looked up at Akari, the girl twitched nervously. There was something new in her friend, something she didn't quite understand. "Come, I'll teach you," Hikaru said, and she sat down too, and for the first time really concentrated on what Hikaru was saying

"I heard you got yourself a job," Akari said when they had finished playing. "What's it like?"

"Oh, nothing special." Hikaru shrugged. "I just do… this and that. All kinda chores. And run errands. And so."

"Where are you learning to play?"

"Oh, I just…" Hikaru fell silent. He should have realized Akari would sooner or later ask him that. Why hadn't he thought what to say beforehand? "I'm just… you know, spending a lot of time at a noble's place, I see and hear stuff, and he loves go, so… I just pick it up."

Akari gave him a look that told him she didn't quite buy it. Luckily she dropped the subject.

"It must be nice," she said. "Could you show me the place some day?"

Hikaru gave her a sidelong glance. "Why?"

"I'd just like to see it! I can't believe _you_ got a job like that. Don't they need any maids?"

Hikaru snorted. "I wouldn't inflict you on them even if you paid me," he said, and got a whack. "Seriously, Akari, I can't just drag you there! What would they think of me?"

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Well, if they ever need anyone, remember me, ok?"

"Sure," Hikaru replied easily.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was the first day of the third month, the first day of the Snake, and this was the day for the Kyokusui no En, the Feast of the Meandering Stream. It was held in the garden of the Kakugan-ji temple through which a little stream wound its way, with a strong enough current for the day's purposes.

Sai was a little nervous when he arrived at the place with his second cousin. He had never before taken part into this festival, not on this scale. The feasts they had had in Musashi had been very small happenings, and rather informal too – at least compared to this. The whole way there Nobunori had been impressing on his mind the importance of this day, how there would be countless Very Important People present there, and it might be decisive for his future to make a good impression. This had not helped him to calm down at all.

As they arrived, he watched with mild jealousy how effortlessly Nobunori mingled with the people, chatting about this and that, being witty, charming, and altogether a model young gentleman in every regard. It wasn't that Sai himself wouldn't normally have been just as relaxed and easygoing, but this day he tagged after his cousin fingering his fan anxiously and wishing the whole thing would be over soon, or better yet, that he weren't there at all, but home playing go with Hikaru.

The program started. First there were dances performed, and Sai had to admit he had seldom, if ever, seen dancers of such quality. And the music as well… he wished no one would ask him to play anything. He did play the flute, and not badly, all things considered, but go was his real strong point and at this place he felt quite out of his water.

Then it was time for the main event. Everyone gathered to the stream, settling down by it here and there. They had long sticks with them, and little tables with writing utensils and strips of thick tanzaku paper. Upstream, little boys set lacquered sake cups afloat down the stream. When the cups passed the participants, they would pick them up, using the long sticks to reach them, drink a little, compose a poem and then recite it.

Sai found this a rather peculiar pastime. He didn't really know what all this had to do with the snake – except that the stream was to be winding, and as such it reminded a snake. Other than that, he figured it was just an excuse to write more poems and drink some sake. His thoughts started wandering as he waited for the first cups to reach him – he was sitting quite close to the other end of the stream – and he started to plan a go-playing version of this. The people on his side of the stream would play black, and those on the other side would play white, making two teams, and when they picked up a sake cup, instead of a poem they would declare their move. That would make quite an interesting game, combining the skill (or the lack of it) of so many people! He should talk about it to his father some day, maybe he would like to arrange an event like that. Kyokusui no Go, Go by the Meandering Stream.

He realized with a start one cup had already passed him, and reached quickly out with his stick to get the next one. Thinking about go, he had forgotten to prepare a poem, but luckily he had been thinking about possible poems and metaphors the whole day, so he could muster something up quite quickly.

Sugawara no Akitada was among the guests. Sai had noticed him early and exchanged polite nods with him, but hadn't had a chance to converse with him. And after all, this wasn't a night for go, he reminded himself. He had strictly told himself to try to forget go this day, and not pester anyone for a game, but watching the emperor's go teacher on the other side of the stream he couldn't help thinking about the game they had played at Masatsune-sama's house. He had thoroughly enjoyed that game, but he couldn't help wondering if the same was true for his opponent. The man had been strangely dismissive after the game, as if he didn't find it quite as great a game as everyone seemed to think. And Sai had thought he had played really well, for a while even had upper hand.

He wondered if he possibly could be mistaken, if Akitada-sama in fact had been in control of the game all through it. If he had been testing him? He twitched a little, feeling uncertain. If that was true, then Akitada-sama's skill had to be even greater than he could fathom. But still, he couldn't quite understand the man's coldness. He had hoped they could form a – if not a friendship, then at least some kind of a relationship as fellow go players, but it seemed Akitada-sama wasn't at all interested in him. Of course, he was an older man, maybe in his mid-forties, Sai thought, while he himself was still in his teens, and they didn't have much else in common but go.

He picked up the next cup coming his way, raised it to his lips and took a sip – a very careful one, for he didn't care to get drunk right then. He could imagine that wouldn't help him to create that favorable first impression Nobunori had been talking about.

Right when he thought of his cousin he heard him recite a poem, one to praise the birds that had been singing in the garden's trees. It was a clever poem, very much in Nobunori's style, and he thought he should probably try to make some kind of a reply to it. But he had other things in his mind.

He picked up the brush and wrote: _Such a quiet night, even the small birds were hushed… one sound in my ears: soft_ pachi _of stone and wood, and I needed nothing more._

He read it out in a strong, clear voice, and wondered what others would think of it, if they would get it at all. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his cousin give him a look, and though they weren't sitting close to each other, he could read in his position that _he_ wasn't quite happy with his poem – he probably did get it, but found it too informal and personal for the occasion. But then Akitada-sama raised his voice to read a poem of his.

_On that night, indeed the birds were quiet, or did we just not hear them, lost in a world where all things of life are but an echo._

Sai looked at him and couldn't help smiling. Maybe he was foolish to think Akitada-sama was looking down on him – he had to be a busy man, as the emperor's go teacher he had such an important office that how could he have time to think of young newcomers who yearned to play games for fun.

Akitada nodded at him, very slightly and if he had not been watching the man so keenly he might have missed it. He nodded back, deciding to go to pay a visit to him as soon as he possibly could.  
.

The next morning he slept long, and woke up with a mild headache. He had not drunk that much, but apparently even the little had been too much. The day was bright, almost too bright for his eyes. He declined a breakfast, but ordered the servant to bring him water, much water, and _cold_. He drank a part of it, sprinkled the rest on his face, and felt a little better.

There was no word from Nobunori which was a little unusual, but then again, he had been properly drunk by the time they had left from the temple. In Nobunori's case it wasn't so serious, for he got intoxicated very pleasantly, one had to know him well to realize how drunk he was. But Sai had noticed how much he had had to concentrate to climb down the stairs from the temple, and he had seen the light frown on his face as he fought to make things stay sharp, and so he wasn't too surprised not to hear from him next day. If _he_ had headache, he didn't want to know how Nobunori felt.

Then he remembered Sugawara no Akitada (who, as far he could tell, had not got drunk at all during the night), and the poems they had exchanged, and remembered his resolution. At the temple, after they had finished with the poetry and were listening to an impromptu night concert, he had seen Nobunori talking with Akitada-sama, but the latter had left before he had had a chance to join the conversation.

Now he wondered a moment if it would be too pushy to invite himself over, and also if someone like him, a son of provincial governor though he was, could invite someone as important over. Then he decided on a compromise, and, having ordered a servant to bring paper and his brushes, he settled down to write a letter to Akitada – not inviting anyone anywhere, but merely stating how their game had left him a wonderful memory, and he would delight to create more memories like that. He wondered if he was being too vague – for what he really wanted to say was "I want to play with you, now!" – but he couldn't really be that forward.

So he sent his letter and, with the nervousness a young lover might feel waiting for a reply to a declaration of love, he waited.

To his delight and surprise, he didn't have to wait for long before a reply arrived. The tone of the letter was cordial. Akitada apologized for not contacting him earlier, for he too had remembered their game fondly, and it would bring him pleasure to play with Sai again. In fact, if it wasn't too sudden, maybe Sai could come over that same day, for he was staying in his city mansion, resting after the feast, and a game of go would be an ideal way to pass time…

Sai couldn't conceal his excitement when he read the letter. He read it again, and a third time just to be sure he hadn't misunderstood anything. Then he jumped up, and was ready to rush out right away, but luckily the servant who had brought the letter managed to point out that for one thing, he wasn't properly dressed, and for another, he should send a letter first thanking for the invite and not just appear behind the gate like an overeager teenager.

His enthusiasm a little deflated, Sai sat down to write a proper and polite acceptance of the invitation. He watched a moment after the messenger who left to deliver the message, and started then to get prepared. He put more thought than usual into the color his clothes and the exact scent he would use. He wanted to make a lasting impression on Akitada, who, he had come to realize on these two occasions he had met the man, did value such things, or at least he himself was always immaculately dressed, and used only the finest perfumes.

He waited a moment after he was ready, dressed in an attire of suitably respectful medium blue, his long hair neatly combed and tied. He didn't have the patience to wait long, though, and he worried he had come too early, even if he had expressed his eagerness in the letter.

If he was early he couldn't see a trace of it on his host's face. Akitada welcomed him warmly and lead him to the terrace by his garden where they spent a moment admiring the first flowers that were beginning to bud. Then Akitada turned to his young companion with a smile.

"I assume you are just as eager as I am to sit down by a go board." As Sai nodded, smiling brightly, he clapped his hands and a servant carried a go board for them, another one bringing the bowls. "Let us get started, then," Akitada said with a tiny smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

This game was quite different from the first one they had played. For one thing, now Akitada concentrated seriously from the very beginning. Sai could see the difference right away, and he knew he had to play his absolute best to be able to… well, he couldn't really believe that even with his absolute best he would win the game. But that didn't stop him from trying.

…

Hikaru had left early – or at least what was early for him – to Sai's home, though he had been distracted on the way by some kids who were sparrow hunting. When he arrived to the mansion Sai was gone, and no one could tell him with certainty when he'd be coming back.

"He went to visit the emperor's go teacher," Ayaka told him. "They're most likely going to play go all day. We are lucky if he remembers to come home at all."

"Oh." Hikaru was disappointed, feeling almost like he had been dumped. "Well, whatever. He can do what he wants. You've got work for me today?"

Ayaka thought a moment. "Not really. I can ask…"

"No need, it's fine," Hikaru cut her off. "I'll have another day off, that's great." He was about to leave but remembered then Akari. "Say," he said when he turned back to Ayaka, "I've got this friend, or actually she's just our neighbor, and she'd kinda need…"

Ayaka was shaking her head, guessing what he was saying. "We don't need any more people. In fact, I don't think we'd really need you either – it's so quiet here, with Sai-sama being the only one living here, and he never holds any feasts or other happenings." She shot him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, no."

Hikaru just grinned easily at her. "No problem. I wouldn't want her hanging around here, anyway."

He had spent the previous day mainly with Akari, so now he headed downtown to hang around with his other friends. They spent the day doing nothing productive whatsoever, dallying away the time in the streets and market places. In the evening he passed by Sai's mansion on his way home, wishing he'd be there, but in vain, so he returned home, feeling as if he had wasted a day. It was a very strange and new feeling to him, and he didn't really like it.

…

As for Sai, the day had been full of great delight. As it was, he had managed to win only one of the many games he had played against Akitada. He hardly minded, though – in fact that one win was enough to make him almost giddy, and besides, the games and the discussions they had had after them surpassed even what he had dared to hope. He thought what a wonderful game it would be if his father and Akitada were to play. He said this aloud, and Akitada smiled.

"I would love to play against your esteemed father," he said, "if he ever comes to the capital. I wish I could go to him, but I could hardly leave my place for such a long time."

Sai sighed. "Yes… I can understand why father doesn't want to move to the capital for good, but I wish he would at least visit at times."

Akitada just kept on smiling. They were enjoying hot drinks on the terrace, covered with extra robes, as the evening was quickly cooling. Sai knew he should be heading home soon, but he didn't want to leave yet. Akitada didn't seem to mind him staying, though, so he decided he could linger there still a moment.

"I was so happy of your invite, Akitada-sama," he said. "Certainly there are many other worthy players in this city, and I have enjoyed my games with them as well, but with you it feels I can reach a completely new level. It is almost like playing against my father – but him I have played so often that there is nothing new in that feeling."

Akitada's smile twitched a little at this second comparison to his father, but was soon again flawless.

"I am happy you came," he said. "I have played against your second cousin a few times, and though his game isn't bad either, it was a surprise to see how strong players there are in his family." Sai bowed his head a little in thanks. Akitada went on, "I assume you are close with your cousin?"

Sai nodded. "I have spent many days with him during my time here in the capital. We started attending the university at the same time, too."

"Yes, you are in the university. How are your studies going?"

"Well enough," Sai said. "My only complaint is how much time they take from go."

Akitada laughed out loud. "Spoken like a true go-player!" he exclaimed. "I take it your cousin does not mind it so much. He doesn't quite share your passion, does he? And I am sure he has his ambitions elsewhere than go, being his father's son."

Sai tilted his head a little, in a gesture that was half a nod, half a shake. "I guess." Nobunori's father, Fujiwara no Tadahira, was the sadaijin, minister of the left – and as such the Senior Minister of State, holding the highest position after the emperor himself. A regent would have stood over him, too, had there been one, but ever since the death of the previous one almost twenty years before, the emperor had held power himself.

"We don't really talk much about those things," Sai confessed. "I am not that interested in politics."

"Hmm." Akitada took a sip of his drink. "Yes – what is it all to us, after all? We don't require that much to be happy, just a soft _pachi_ of stone and wood, that is all."

Sai bowed, feeling himself blush a little. "Indeed," he muttered. "What is politics to us."

Later in the night, when his young quest had left, Akitada sat alone on his terrace and watched the darkening garden that was illuminated with a few tactically placed lanterns.

He didn't need to worry. This product of the provinces clearly had no idea how the real world worked. He was a little disappointed in the way he had avoided his questions about politics – had he been honest, or was he really as uninterested as he claimed? As strange as it was, somehow Akitada was bound to believe the latter. But that might be a blessing in disguise – the boy might let something slip without even realizing what he was saying.

His brows furrowed as he thought about the Fujiwara family. He knew they were up to something – weren't they always? – but hadn't yet been able to find out what. He had hoped that talking with the son of the Minister of the Left he would have been able to uncover something, but the boy had been annoyingly slippery, avoiding all traps. His father's son, truly.

It was now twenty six years since the brother of this esteemed minister, himself a regent back in those days, had with his wild accusations caused the exile of Sugawara no Michizane, the uncle of his, Akitada's, father. Akitada remembered fondly his visits to great-uncle Michizane as a boy, and what a gentle, learned man he had been. To think that he had had to die in exile in such a horribly removed place! And now there was this foolish boy talking about the provinces with such devotion. In a sudden burst of anger Akitada almost decided to arrange for _him_ to be sent to some far-off place for good. Maybe that would bang some sense into his head.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. It had not been easy for him to build such a career for himself after the disgrace of his great-uncle, even though the man had been posthumously pardoned. If anything, he had learned patience during those years. The skill to wait for the apt moment, and grasp it when it arrived. He would wait, now, too, and sooner or later he would find out what was going on. Perhaps that young provincial would prove to be useful, or perhaps not. But if he, in the end, turned out to be a nuisance, it would be more than easy to get rid of him.

…

Time passed, and spring turned into summer. Hikaru went to Sai's mansion most days of the week, but he didn't get to play quite as much go as he would have wanted. Sai had decided to take a more diligent attitude to his studies, and so his days were filled with Chinese history and classics. He had attempted to introduce these things also to Hikaru, but once the boy fell asleep while he was reading aloud Confucius' works, he decided the idea might not be so very good.

And so they made a deal: he would spend the first two days of a week wholly at the university, residing in a dormitory, and rest of the week the evenings would be devoted to go – unless there were other duties on his schedule. Sai himself did go, as often as he could which wasn't as often as he would have liked, to visit Sugawara no Akitada who he considered one of his best friends by now.

One day as Hikaru had finished his chores (he had been helping to renovate one of the garden's bridges – after having helped his father to fix their house, he did know quite a bit about carpentry) he was waiting for Sai to return from the university for their evening go session, when a messenger arrived, saying that this day Sai would be home quite late and there was no point for him to wait.

So he headed home. It had been a nice day of late summer, not so horribly hot, and the evening breeze was cool and pleasant on his brow as he walked onward. As he approached his home, he saw from far Akari waiting for him. Having noticed him, the girl rushed to him and greeted him with a wide smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a little annoyed. "You know I normally come home much later."

"Yeah… but I've got news! You'll never guess!"

"What, your mom finally confessed you're a foundling, abandoned by a group of _oni_ who could not stomach your screaming?"

Akari shot him a glare. "I got a job", she stated coldly. "A great job. But I'm not going to tell you more anymore."

"Someone's hired you?" Hikaru sounded genuinely surprised. "To do what? Wipe floors?"

She stuck out her tongue. "Not telling. But it's a good job. Most likely much better than yours. I start tomorrow."

"Whatever, it's not like I were interested," Hikaru shouted after her as she ran away.

Later that night, as he was finishing the evening meal with his parents, he said in passing that he heard something about Akari getting a job.

His mother nodded happily. "I'm so glad for her," she said. "I hear there was some lord's son moving to his own mansion, and he needed more staff. Akari is such a diligent girl, no wonder she got a place. And you know how nicely she plays flute, I'm sure it helped too."

"Hrm." Hikaru made a noncommittal sound. "I guess."  
.

Next evening, despite himself, Hikaru was curious to meet Akari, but there was no sign of the girl. He thought he should have asked if she was going to move to the mansion of her new lord or lady, but didn't want to make it look like he was interested, so he said nothing about it. Two more days passed without him hearing anything from her. Then one evening when he happened to be home as Sai was busy, Akari's father came to see them, tailed by his other daughter, Akari's elder sister Akane. Hikaru couldn't help noticing how worried they both looked, and so he too stayed there to hear what was the matter.

After exchanging their greetings, Akari's father turned to him. "It was in fact you I came to see, Hikaru," he said. "These past few days… have you seen Akari?"

Hikaru shook his head, surprised. "No, I've not seen her since she told me about getting a new job. She said then she was going to start on the next day."

"What is it?" his mother asked, worried at the tight-lipped look Akari's father was wearing.

"We've not seen her since she left," he said. "At first we thought she was just kept busy at her new work, but yesterday Akane went to see her and… she didn't even find the place where she was supposed to be working. It's as if she's vanished in thin air, we haven't been able to find a trace."

Mitsuko let out a little gasp.

"Are you sure?" Hikaru's father said with a deep frown. "Did you go to the right place?" he asked Akane. The girl nodded.

"Definitely. We had the exact address. There was no one living in that place. The neighbors said there had been some people there during the past few days, but they didn't know who they were."

"We've reported this to the police, but they aren't too interested in looking for some common girl. We don't really have a clue what to do. No one has seen her, or heard anything. Her supposed employer doesn't seem to exist."

Masao shook his head. "How did that happen? Didn't you check…"

"Of course I did! Everything seemed to be fine. But now…"

Hikaru listened with an unreal feeling as his parents continued talking with Akari's father. It didn't seem possible that something like this could happen. And they just talked, on and on, obviously without a clue what to do about it.

He jumped to his feet. "I'm going to see Sai," he said, and rushed away before anyone could stop him.

It was only when he had ran quite a while that he remembered that Sai wasn't home. He stopped, wondered a moment what to do, but in the end rushed to Sai's mansion anyway. Maybe he had already returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to end this chapter after the Sai & Akitada scene, but I thought it was a bit short, so... decided to add the bit about Akari here. Not sure if it's a little disconnected, though...
> 
>  **Kyokusui no En** This ceremony is still practiced at some shrines in Japan. My description is mainly based on descriptions of these modern day versions – I don't know if there are many differences to what it was like in the Heian age.
> 
>  **Sugawara no Michizane** , a scholar, poet, and politician, banished in 901. Later deified as Tenjin-sama, the kami of scholarship. (The current year of the fic, btw - if I haven't mentioned it yet - is 927.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, the seventh chapter! This has been a bit insane kind of week - lot's of work, one (surprise) post-doctoral party, and tomorrow friends are coming to visit, and it's the Chinese New Year, too. We're going to watch the celebration (yes, there is some even in Finland. And no, I'm not Chinese, in the case you were wondering.) Mmm, coming to think of it, I should have posted the previous chapter (with the festival of the snake) now, really. Anyways, Happy Year of the Snake, everyone! It starts tomorrow.
> 
>  **A note:** There is a girl called Hiroko in this chapter. Think of **Kaneko** when you meet her. I considered changing the name, but for one thing, she's a real person from history, and for another, Hiroko is what I called her in the other Heian fic, so.
> 
> And… coming to think of it, if Hiroko=Kaneko, then a certain boy in this chapter should probably be Mitani. I'll leave that up to you. (In my mind, he's not quite Mitani, but it would fit, kind of. You'll see.)

**Chapter 7**

Hikaru was out of luck as he reached Sai's mansion – his teacher had not returned yet. He was about to head to the university, thinking he would find Sai there, but he was told that Sai had, in fact, gone to the palace – and that was a place he had better not go, the servants told him quite sternly as they noticed the look in his eyes. Hikaru remembered his short visit in the area and figured they were probably right. Besides, it was getting late and Sai would surely arrive home soon. So, swallowing his fear and impatience, he settled to wait by the main gate.

...

No one could have been more surprised than Sai finding himself heading to the court that day. Nobunori had told him that his father the minister had decided this to be a suitable day to introduce Sai there. Sai had been slightly peeved, informing his cousin that in the future he would like to know of such events beforehand so that he could be better prepared. Nobunori had just clapped his shoulder and told him cheerfully that he should be thankful; if they had told him earlier he would just have spent the night fretting about it, and now at least he was facing the day fresh with a well-slept night behind.

It wasn't, of course, the first time Sai visited the palace area, but he had never before been in the emperor's presence, and, as he wasn't even a court noble, he couldn't quite fathom what he was doing there now in the first place. As they sat in the palanquin on their way to the palace, his hand kept on nervously touching the tail of the _kanmuri_ hat on his head. He was not used to it, and it felt strangely different from the tall _eboshi_. Finally, when his hand once again rose, Nobunori gave it a whack with his fan.

"Stop pulling it! Do you want to pull off the whole hat?"

Sai gave a sigh and let his hand drop into his lap. "I just don't know what's going on," he muttered. "Why do you want to drag me there just today, so suddenly?"

"As I said, Father thought this would be a splendid time for you to be introduced at the court, and I agree with him. He did have the idea for a while, but he's such a busy man, so that he forgot to mention it earlier."

The court onmyouji had declared this day to be good-omened to start the repairs of a wing that had been damaged during a storm – the wing being located in the unlucky north-eastern quadrant of the palace had complicated things, and now there would be a ceremony conducted to make sure everything would proceed auspiciously. "I don't quite see why something like this would be a splendid time," Sai said with a frown. "Certainly there would come…"

"Yes, yes, of course, but why wait?" Nobunori cut him off. "I thought you'd be eager to go there! I've heard you already start having something of a reputation as a go player. You will meet many interesting people there, I'm sure."

"Yes." Sai's face brightened a little. "That is true." But still he couldn't quite shake of the feeling that something was off.

Sai found the ceremony quite stiff and boring, to be honest. He hoped he managed to hide it and look properly attentive. The emperor himself sat behind his curtain, and Sai eyed him curiously, though (he hoped) discreetly. Not that he could make out more than a shape behind the screen, and given all the floating clothes the emperor was wearing, it was hard to say anything specific even about that.

The emperor didn't speak with him that day, besides the customary greetings, but later, once the ceremony was over and they were having a little unofficial banquet, he found himself conversing with the empress herself, though of course she was sitting behind her curtain of state. He probably shouldn't have felt as overwhelmed as he did, given that after all the empress was a cousin of his mother's, and Nobunori's aunt, but nevertheless, having spent most of his life out in the far-off provinces he had never really grasped the fact that he had imperial relatives.

He found the empress quite a charming person, royal, but friendly and easy to talk with. It didn't take long before he had overcome his shyness, and soon they were discussing, what else, but go. Nobunori burst into laughter when he came to them.

"I should have known," he said as he bowed to the empress. "Somehow all the discussions with him, no matter who he is talking with, end up with go."

Sai blushed a little. "I find it quite a splendid topic," he said a little defensively. The empress laughed behind her curtain.

"I do agree. And I must say I have seldom had such a deep discussion on that subject. Nobunori," she said, turning to her nephew. "I haven't seen you for a while."

"My studies have kept me busy," he said with another bow. "Your majesty."

"Tosh," she snorted, and they heard the sound of her fan snapping shut. "But I believe you have been busy. As is your father, my dear elder brother."

"Yes," Nobunori said simply.

As they talked on, Sai couldn't help feeling that he was somehow left out. They seemed to be talking about normal, everyday business, but still, there was something going on in the discussion, some kind of a strange undertone, and it made him nervous again. After a while he excused himself, and started wandering around.

It didn't take long before he ran into a familiar face: Sugawara no Akitada was there, discussing something with a group of courtiers and two of the empress's ladies-in-waiting. Sai paused – he knew that the court ladies weren't as tied with the conventions as women in general, but he had never before come talked with strange women, and a moment he hesitated. Then Akitada noticed him. Something seemed to flicker over the man's face, but his smile was bright when he greeted his young acquaintance, gesturing to him to come closer, and Sai decided it had to have been just a passing shadow.

"I was surprised to see you here," Akitada said after introductions.

Sai gave a little laugh. "I was surprised to be here, myself. I still am."

"But it is splendid," Akitada said with a smile. "I was wondering how long your family would allow someone like you to stay hidden."

Sai blinked. "Oh, I…" He started, but trailed of, not knowing what to say.

"We have heard so many rumors," a man from the Ki family said. "And Akitada-sama has confirmed that your skill in go has impressed even him."

"He is much too kind," Sai said smiling, and hoping his blush wasn't too conspicuous. "I have enjoyed greatly the games I have played with him, and I know I have learned much from them."

"And so have I," Akitada muttered. When some of their companions tried to object and say he certainly had nothing left to learn, he waved dismissively his hand. "That is nonsense! There is no end to learning on the road of go."

Sai nodded his agreement. "The game is so deep I feel one lifetime can't be enough to truly master it," he said.

"Profound wisdom from one so young," a greybeard man nodded. "There will never be end to that road, will there?"

Before the discussion could take a turn to a too philosophical direction, Akitada changed the subject. "Yes, our little games are truly a wonderful way to relax in the midst of all my duties. The thrill of the game, and the discussions… and all the beautiful memories you have of your childhood home."

Sai smiled, getting a little dreamy look in his eyes.

"Yes, I hear you have spent a long time in the provinces," one man commented. "Hitachi, was it?"

"Musashi, in fact. And yes, I have spent there over half of my life."

"Oh yes, the copper province," the man gave a condescending nod. "You must be happy to have finally been able to come to the capital."

"Certainly," Sai admitted. "Musashi is a beautiful place, but there are so many more go players here."

Everyone laughed. "And that's what is important?"

"Of course! I was happy to come here for the games waiting for me, but in truth I would not have wanted to leave Musashi…" He smiled a little sadly. "I have many fond memories there."

"I would not think I would be anything but overjoyed, being able to leave such an awfully removed place for the capital," a lady-in-waiting said. "All I have heard of the provinces makes them sound like a rather dreadful place to live in."

Sai's smile died away. "I know the provinces are not popular among the people of the capital," he said seriously. "But that is just silly prejudices. The nature in Musashi is full of wonders, the very sight of Mt. Fuji in the distance is enough to take your breath away. And the people, too – they are diligent, hardworking, and very friendly. I see no reason to…"

"You are not talking about commoners, are you?"

"Indeed I am," Sai said with a frown. "They are fine people, at least in Musashi." He thought about Hikaru, and added, "And here too. One might be surprised what kind of skills humble birth might hide."

Who knows what kind of a turn the discussion would have taken, but right then Nobunori appeared as if out of empty air. "Sai, there you are!" he exclaimed. "I've been looking for you." He noted the slight frown on his cousin's brow, and the way some of the people he had been talking with were whispering behind their fans, and figured he had arrived just at the right moment; hopefully not too late. "I hope you don't mind," he said with smile, "but I'd like to steal my cousin away. There is someone he must meet."

They parted from the little group with polite bows, and the others were left in silence, watching after them.

"Is this really someone you consider a friend of yours, Akitada-sama?" one man asked. The others were nodding. "A very peculiar young man."

"Oh, yes," Akitada said with a sigh and fanned himself slightly. "But his go… well. It is enough for me to excuse some… eccentricities."

"Eccentricities indeed," one whispered to another behind his fan. "One can't but wonder about that hair."

"Maybe they have heard in the provinces that such hair is greatly admired," the other answered, "but somehow never got the part that it only applies to women."

There was quiet snickering in the group, but one of the ladies was mournfully watching after Sai. "Be that how it may," she said with a sad shake of her head, "I am jealous. And mortified… that I have been beaten by a man." She covered her face with her fan, and now the group laughed out.

…

"What were you talking about with them?" Nobunori asked as they walked away.

"Oh, this and that. Go. And Musashi. And… well." He could imagine what Nobunori would say if he told him everything. "Mainly go."

Nobunori frowned. "I think you should stick to mainly go, really."

"If you say so," Sai said with a little sigh, wanting to drop the subject. "Where are we going to?" Nobunori was leading him away from the others, deeper into the residential quarters. "Are we supposed to be here?" he whispered.

"As I said, I'm going to introduce you to someone." Nobunori flashed him a smile. "And don't worry, of course we can be here! We're family."

"You are," Sai muttered. "I'm just a distant cousin from the provinces. And even so, I'm not sure…"

"Hush now! You worry too much. We're here." Nobunori pushed him into a room. There was a child in that room, a little boy barely five years old, playing with colored stones with a lady-in-waiting. Seeing Nobunori and Sai appear, she quickly withdrew away.

It took the boy a moment to notice the newcomers, he was so enchanted by whatever he was doing with his stones. Then he looked behind, startled, and seeing Nobunori his mouth spread into a wide grin.

"Uncle Nobu!" he shouted and jumped to his feet, rushing to them. Nobunori snatched him up and threw him up into the air, and the boy was shrieking with joy. Then his eyes fell on Sai, and he froze to stare at him.

"This is our second cousin, Fujiwara no Sai," Nobunori said as he laid the boy down. "Sai, this is prince Hiroakira."

Sai's eyes widened and he started to kneel down, but Nobunori stopped him with a wave of his hand, and so, after hesitating a moment, he just bowed low.

"I am honored to meet you, your highness," he said.

The boy watched him with serious eyes, and walked then slowly around him. Sai stood still, feeling a little ill at ease at this close inspection. Then the boy stopped again in front of him.

Suddenly his face brightened. "I know!" he clapped his hands together. "You are… you're a… shira… shira… shirabyoushi, aren't you? Did you come to dance?"

Nobunori turned away, suppressing a burst of laughter. Sai shot him a look before turning back to the young prince. "No, your highness, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am not. I'm not female, to begin with."

"Oh?" the boy blinked. "But your hair…"

"I just… rather like my hair." His hand touched the subject of their conservation, self-consciously. "I thought it'd be shame to cut it…"

"Mmm. It is pretty." The boy nodded his head. "I guess it is alright."

"How about that, Sai? Your hair has been validated."

Sai just smiled, ignoring his cousin's teasing remark. "Thank you very much, your highness. I am glad you approve." He glanced at the stones spread on the floor. "I hope we didn't interrupt anything important."

"Not really. We were just playing with the stones." The little prince sat back down on the floor and picked up a red stone.

"What kind of a game were you playing?" Sai asked, kneeling down as well.

"Just… like this." The boy started to pile up the stones, seemingly quite randomly.

Sai picked one up, a blue transparent rock, and wondered if it actually was a sapphire. "You know, I like playing with stones, too. Though mine are all black and white. Do you know that game?" He looked questioningly at the boy.

The boy sniffed. "Go," he said. "It's boring."

Sai's eyes widened. "It is anything but boring! How can you say that?"

"Cause it is! People just sit and think and sit and think and make silly forms on the board and the stones are just black and white and it's boring."

"Hmm." Sai thought a moment. "I guess you just haven't ever played a real game. A proper one."

"Really?" the boy gave him a sidelong look from his stones. "But I've been playing with father and mother and Akitada-sama."

Sai nodded. "Yes, but I'm afraid they think you are just a little boy and haven't really played seriously."

"Oh?" Now he had the boy's full attention. "How do you play seriously?"

"Well, let me show you." Sai took a piece of tato paper from the fold of his clothes and drew on it a four times four board. "Now, if you look here, your highness…" He placed the blue stone he had been holding on the paper. "If blue goes here, where do you think red should go?"

The prince blinked. Then he placed his red stone down into the opposite corner. "Here. Red doesn't like blue."

Sai nodded. "Fine! And then green comes, and green does like blue, so it will attack red together with blue." He placed the green stone next to the blue one, by the edge of the little board. "Now what will happen next?"

"Red calls orange to help!" the boy declared. "Orange is much stronger than green, and it'll kick green out." He placed the orange stone on the place of the green one so that the green went flying across the room. "Now blue's _scared_!"

"Indeed. And that's why it calls on gold. Blue and gold have an ages old association, and together they're invincible." He placed the golden stone down diagonally by the blue. "Now orange will be in trouble. See, they need only one companion more, and they will capture orange!"

The boy pouted a little as he watched the board. "They won't. There's… there's the spotty one, and it helps orange." He put the spotted stone right next to the orange one. "Now it won't be so easy."

"Hmm. Maybe not. But…" Suddenly Sai realized they had an audience. A little girl, clearly older than the boy, though not by many years, stood by their little board and watched it with a deep frown. She was finely dressed, and her round face, at the moment wrinkled in concentration, was pleasant to look at.

Then she looked up at Sai. "That's a silly game," she declared.

"No it's not!" the boy protested. "It's a serious game!"

"It is a very serious game indeed," Sai said solemnly, "if the players are serious. And we are."

"Then maybe you're silly too," the girl said with a rather unladylike snort.

"I am not silly!" the boy shouted.

"Absolutely not," Sai agreed. "And in the end, what is silliness? Is it a bad thing? A crime? I think not. It is very important thing in life, to be a little silly at times."

The girl said nothing for a while. "Your hair is longer than mine," she stated then, pouting.

"My hair is longer than you are," Sai pointed out. "I am sure that when you grow up, your hair will be much longer than mine." In truth he was beginning to grow a little tired of the attention his hair was getting. Perhaps he should cut it, but… no. He couldn't bring himself to even think of that seriously. So he would just have to stomach the curiosity of children and the whispers of adults.

The girl seemed to be a little pacified.

"Evening, my little lady," Nobunori broke into the conversation then. "I don't think you're supposed to be here."

"So?" the girl asked. "I am where I want to be."

"Umm…" Sai uttered. "Who is…"

"Oh, this is princess Hiroko, prince Yasuakira's daughter. Hiroko-hime, this is my second cousin, your grandmother's cousin's son, Fujiwara no Sai." Sai bowed, and the girl nodded her head to him royally. "And I _really_ do think you are not supposed to be here. Did you run away again?"

The girl watched him impassively, and dropped then down by their peculiar go board. "I want to watch this silly game," she declared.

"Now, really…" Nobunori gave an exasperated sigh, and gestured then at the lady-in-waiting who had been waiting close by. "Please go to tell them she's here," he whispered to her. The girl did hear him, but only shot an annoyed glance after the leaving woman and said nothing. Instead she turned to Sai. "It's your move," she said.

"Ah… really. Yes." Sai eyed the board, trying to remember what had been going on. "Oh yes. The spotty stone came to help the orange one. But the brown one isn't afraid of any spotties. Here it comes!" And the brown stone landed right next to the spotty one, in a corner.

"Here's another spotty stone! They make a pair so they're extra strong!"

Sai nodded happily. "Two spotty stones! This is bad. I think I do need another golden one!"

And the game went on, both players being equally enthusiastic about it, while their audience, Nobunori and the little princess, seemed to think them equally silly. Two ladies-in-waiting came to fetch the girl, but she refused to leave, saying she too wanted to try playing such a silly game, and once the game ended, to Sai's loss, she took his place.

"The winner gets to play the next game!" prince Hiroakira declared.

He looked a little sullen as he lost, but stood by his own rule and made room for Sai, who in his turn won against the princess. The game he played against her, he found out to his pleasure, was real go, and she did have some skill in it. He wondered a moment if he should have let her win, but once the game was over she looked up at him with the first real smile he had seen on her.

"That was a nice game," she said. "Thanks. Maybe you're not so silly, after all," she added as an afterthought.

"Thank you, your highness," Sai said seriously. "It was a very good game."

Now the ladies were more insisting, and this time the girl agreed to go with them. She shot one last glance at the boy who was again enthralled by the colorful stones, playing against himself as he waited Sai to start another game.

"One thing that _is_ silly is marriage," she pronounced, and left Sai blinking at this peculiar farewell.

"Sai!" the boy's whine got his attention. "Let's play more!"

They played another game which the boy won again – though this time mainly because of the peculiar rules he made up. Then Nobunori stated it was time for them to go – and past the time the boy should have gone to bed – and Sai realized with a start they had spent quite a long while with him.  
.

"Why did you take me there?" he asked when they were on their way back home.

"So that you could do exactly what you did."

Sai sighed. "Can't you for once just answer the question without riddles?"

"You need to make friends with that boy," Nobunori said with a laugh. "And you did. I knew you would, you are good with children."

"Yes, but… why? Why is it so important?"

Nobunori was shaking his head. "Sai… sometimes you just are too slow. Don't you get it? The boy is the future. One day, he'll be our emperor, and who knows, maybe that day isn't so far away."

Sai stopped. "I…" he said, but fell silent. Of course. Although that little boy had quite a many elder half-brothers, he was the oldest living son the empress had given birth to, and as such a very strong candidate to be named as the crown prince. The empress's eldest son, Prince Yasuakira, who had been the previous crown prince, had died three years earlier, and his little son the previous year, so… "I see", he said. He thought a moment, thinking about the little girl. "Poor little princess," he said shaking his head. "She's so young, and has already lost her father and brother. …is she going to marry the crown prince?"

"Yes. Great, Sai, you are not totally hopeless. And neither is she." He frowned. "I wonder where she heard about it."

"It's a peculiar thought. Though she is older than him, she is still his niece, after all." Sometimes thinking about the internal relations of the imperial family made his head hurt.

"Yes. They are a perfect pair. She, being the late crown prince's daughter is the ideal wife for the new crown prince."

"She seems quite headstrong," Sai mused. "But I like her go. It's promising, for one so young."

"Mmm." Nobunori made a noncommittal sound. "But don't talk about it yet. He will soon be declared the crown prince, and the engagement will be declared at the same time, but it is a little early. And there is some movement to declare one of Imperial Consort Washi's sons as the crown prince."

"Well, they are older…"

"Exactly."

Sai shot him a curious glance, not quite knowing what he meant.

…

When the palanquin stopped at Sai's mansion to let him out, a very frantic Hikaru jumped suddenly up from the shadows, rushing to Sai and grasping a hold of his clothes.

"Finally you're here! Where have you been? I've been waiting for ages!"

"Hikaru?" Sai gave him a confused look. "What is it? It's alright," he added hastily to the servants who were about to move to remove this street kid from their master.

"It's Akari! She's been kidnapped! You've got to do something!"

"Alright, alright, _calm down_ , Hikaru! First of all, who is Akari?"

"A fr… neighbor. She got a job few days ago, but never came home and no one knows where she is or who the people who hired her really are, and you _have_ _to_ _do_ _something_!"

"Isn't this a scene?" a quiet voice mused behind Sai's back. He glanced behind and saw that Nobunori as well had stepped out of the palanquin. "Let's go in, before the noise he makes attracts your neighbors."

"Are you coming…?" Sai asked, a little surprised.

"Definitely. I don't believe you are going to tell this boy to go his way, so I have better to see you don't do anything stupid about this missing girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Shirabyoushi** were female dancers who performed traditional Japanese dances. They danced dressed as men. So, I guess it makes sense someone would think Sai would be one.
> 
> Okay, so. Bugger. Found out _they didn't exist_ _until the late Heian period_. I'm 200 hundred years early. Bugger. I'm still keeping that there, just because. I totally think people would confuse Sai to a shirabyoushi, even if they didn't exist yet. [A pic](http://blog-imgs-49-origin.fc2.com/f/u/t/future2011719/20111223070222493.jpg)
> 
>  **Kanmuri hat** Eboshi is the tall one Sai normally wears. It's for everyday use. [Kanmuri](http://www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/wayou/3.htm) was the court hat.
> 
>  **Emperor Daigo** had a whole bunch of wives and children. Prince Yasuakira was the crown prince, but he died, and his son died too a couple of years later. He had a daughter (Hiroko) who married his little brother (the little prince in this chapter). And those two had a daughter, who married one more brother. And these three were full brothers, all the (current) empress's sons. This is beginning to make _my_ head ache, at least.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Once the three of them had entered the house and settled down in Sai's study, they told Hikaru to start from the beginning, this time more coherently.

The boy took a deep breath. "I already told you all I know! She was given work – no, I don't know what kind of work, she never told me! I guess some kinda maid or something – and she went there three days ago, and never came back, and her dad says there's no one at the place where she was supposed to be working, and the neighbors know nothing either, the whole place has been abandoned, and the police don't seem to be too interested, and." He stopped to draw breath.

Nobunori shook his head. "Who goes to the Imperial Police to get anything done in this city?" he mused. "Ever since that little boy was made the chief, it's been even worse than before…"

"You know, he is my age," Sai pointed out, and Nobunori gave him a look.

"I wouldn't make _you_ the Chief of the Imperial Police either," he said, "but even you would be a better candidate than that spoiled kid. But my point is, it's useless to go to that bunch to get any help here."

"I know," Hikaru said with a sigh. "I wouldn't have gone to them either. But I guess her parents are really desperate…"

"This is a real mystery," Sai said with a frown. He was fingering his fan as he thought, opening and closing it in his hands. "Yes, we must do something. Where was this place she was supposed to work at?"

"It…" Hikaru paused. "I don't know. I can ask."

"You do that," Nobunori cut Sai off before he could say anything. "I will see what I can find out. You," he pointed his fan at Sai, "will do nothing. You hear me, _nothing_. I don't want you to go around telling the whole world about your fisher student and his missing girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Hikaru muttered, but he was ignored.

Sai pouted at his cousin, but it didn't help. Nobunori promised them his help on that condition that they would leave everything to him and neither of them would do anything about it. Sai agreed, mainly because he knew Nobunori had the best resources in his use.

Once Nobunori left, Sai and Hikaru stayed behind together. Hikaru stared at the floor a glum look on his face, and Sai bit his lip, wondering what to say.

"Don't worry," he said then with an encouraging smile. "We'll do our best to find your girlfriend."

"She's _not_ my girlfriend," Hikaru repeated, and Sai's smile widened.

"You are quite worried about her, anyway. Have you known her for long?"

"A while… our mothers are friends. Nowadays they're our neighbors, they were living here in the city first. I think it was from them father got the idea to come here."

Sai nodded. "You should go home now, Hikaru," he said then. "Before _your_ parents get worried too. It is really late."

"I guess." Reluctantly the boy got to his feet and left.

He slept badly that night. It took him long to fall asleep, and when he did, his sleep was broken, full of restless dreams. In the morning he woke up when his mother was shaking him strongly, and he felt like he had only just fallen asleep.

"Hikaru!" she uttered in fervent whisper. "Wake up, Hikaru!"

"What?" He raised his sleepy head from his pillow and screwed up his eyes. "What is it?"

"You need to get up, now!" She was pulling him up, and he rose before he even understood what was happening. "Here, dress. Now."

Grasping the clothes she pushed to him he started dressing up, still quite foggy. "What is it, mom? Something about Akari?"

"In a way, I guess," she said, giving him a look. She had a good assortment of looks, angry, amused, exasperated – this one he didn't know. That fact worried him, so he shut up and dressed up as quickly as he could. He was about to leave the room, but his mother stopped him, started combing his hair and tied it then up in his neck on a short bobtail.

"What?"

"Come," she said without explaining anything. Hikaru followed her, confused and a little anxious. When they entered the terrace he stopped on his heels.

Sai was there, admiring the garden that spread in front of the terrace.

"Sai!" Hikaru uttered in surprise, and he turned to him.

"Ah, Hikaru, good morning!" Sai greeted him with a warm smile. "You have slept really late – but then again, I guess you went to bed really late, too. I was waiting for you to come to tell me where that girlfriend – I'm sorry, neighbor of yours was supposed to be working, and as you didn't come, I decided to check if I'd find your home myself. Which I did."

"A-ha," Hikaru said. "Umm, didn't, eh, you-know-who tell you not to go around and…"

"Yes, yes, of course! And I'm not doing anything like that, am I? I just came to see you. You have a charming home," he added with a smile to Hikaru's mother, who clearly had no idea how to deal with the situation and didn't even know how to react to the praise.

"I… I don't still know where it was, really," Hikaru said. "I just went to sleep when I came, and…"

"Oh, don't worry, your mother already told me! But there really is something quite fishy about this all." Sai gave him a very serious look. "I think we had better to go to meet Nobunori, both of us. And do stop worrying so much!" he exclaimed when Hikaru frowned at his words. "You can pretend to be some servant of mine, or something. Actually, no need to be pretending, technically you are working for me, aren't you?"

"Yes, but…"

"Hikaru, what is this?" his mother cut him off. "How… is this… I mean…" She fell silent, not knowing how to pose her question when the subject of it stood beside her.

"He's the one I've been working for, okay? And I know, he's a little strange. Well he is! Don't look at me like that, mom! And I went to ask him to help, yesterday, and now he's helping, so… what's the problem?"

Mitsuko just shook her head, still not quite knowing what to think about it.

"Hikaru, we should be going," Sai pointed out. "I want to catch Nobunori before he leaves to the university."

"Yeah… I guess dad is already out fishing?" His mother nodded, and he went on, muttering, "Just as well. Wouldn't it have been great if he were here now… Let's go, Sai."

His mother looked aghast at the informal way he addressed his master, and seemed to be about to say something, but Sai just nodded and giving her a little bow turned to go, getting her so badly off balance she couldn't do anything but stare after them as they went.

They found Nobunori at his private mansion, relaxing in his garden, as the spring day was rather warm for the season, and very sunny. Hikaru frowned at the sight of him – he didn't seem to be doing much to find Akari. Then again, he had never really believed this guy would actually bother to exert himself for someone like her.

"Morning," Nobunori said lazily as the two arrived. "A beautiful day, isn't it? Summer seems to be coming early this year."

"So it does," Sai said with a nod in greeting. "The girl was hired by some lord 'Nitari' – but of course, there is no such clan, or at least I don't know of it. The place where she was supposed to work at…"

"…is the old mansion on the seventh street, belonging to the Ono family," Nobunori cut him off. "I know." He sighed. "Right to the business," he muttered.

"Ono family?" Sai asked in surprise. "Are they the ones…"

"Surely not. The place has been empty since last month, when the old lady died. No one has been living there. They just used the address."

"Who are they?" Sai asked, sitting down. He had known his cousin was efficient, but he was a little astonished at how much he had find out so soon.

"Slave traders," Nobunori replied. "What else could it be? They don't normally come here, to the very capital, but at times they collect unneeded people from here, too."

"Unneeded!" Hikaru exclaimed. "She's not unneeded!"

"I believe she was contacted by an old woman who at times works for those groups. She tricked her into believing she works for this lord Nitari. It was simple enough to arrange a meeting with her father, convince him that this was a truly splendid opportunity for her, and so the next day she walked straight into the wolf's mouth. Quite the usual story. But you don't have to worry, I've arranged to have her freed and sent back home. It might take a little while, though, because apparently she is already on her way to the provinces."

Hikaru stared at him in stunned silence. "What about the others?" he asked then. "They've got to have captured other people too."

Nobunori frowned. "It is all rather complicated, and not really your business. Your friend will come home, just be content with that."

"I…" Hikaru opened his mouth, but Sai touched his arm shaking his head. He knew the look Nobunori was giving them.

"Maybe it is better you go home to tell the news, Hikaru," he said quietly. "I'll stay here a little longer. Come to my place later today."

Hikaru hesitated, but Sai gave him a look, and reluctantly he got up and took his leave. Once the boy was gone, Sai turned back to his second cousin.

"What are you going to do about this?" he asked.

Nobunori just looked at him. "I take it you don't mean just the girl," he said finally when Sai clearly wasn't going to give up before he answered. "I'm going to do nothing."

"What about your father, then?" Sai asked, and Nobunori rolled his eyes.

"This is hardly an important enough matter to bother him. We will free the girl, and impress on them that we appreciate it if they keep their affairs out of the city in the future."

"And that's it? They should be brought to justice! How can we let a kidnapping gang run free?"

"They provide people for the provincial lords to do the work that must be done so that we will get our daily food here in the capital," Nobunori said sternly. "Your righteousness is admirable, but misplaced. For many this might even be an improvement, getting a roof over their heads and regular meals."

"Do you actually believe that yourself? You're talking about kidnappers! This girl clearly had a good home – how do you know there are not others like her?"

"You take this all too seriously. Listen to me, and stop to _think_ for a moment, would you? The provinces need…"

"There are plenty of people there in the provinces and no need for such drastic measures to get workers! We never had any trouble in Musashi…"

"And you knew for certain the background of each and every peasant working on your rice fields?" Nobunori cut him off in his turn, clearly beginning to lose his patience. "This is how the world works; if you don't like it, too bad, but it's not up to you to change it."

Sai fell silent. He stared at his cousin lips pressed in a tight line, fingers squeezing is fan so hard it was a wonder it didn't break. Nobunori looked at him a moment and leaned then back with a sigh.

"Look, go home, why don't you? There's no need for you to get so worked up about this. I'll send your little student's friend back home, everyone will be happy again, and you'll forget all about this. Alright?"

"Alright?" Sai snapped. "Hardly. But whatever, I'll go. And I can tell you that back home we _did not_ allow for something like this to happen. I know a peasant can't leave his home village how and when he wants, but I also know for sure that father would not have let people brought in against their will."

Nobunori said nothing, deeming it wisest to give Sai the last word, and Sai took his leave, all but stomping out of the place.

...

Hikaru had headed to his home when he left, but once he got there, he went to their neighbors' instead, and quickly informed them that everything should be working out and Akari probably would return home soon. Before they could ask him any questions he rushed off, and ran all the way to Sai's mansion to wait for him to return. He didn't have to wait too long for Sai's palanquin to arrive.

He could immediately see that his teacher was not in a good mood. He followed Sai quietly in, waiting for him to calm down a little. Inside, Sai sent all the worried servants away with a wave of his arm. He kept on pacing back and forth in the rooms and Hikaru watched him impatiently.

"So?" the boy finally asked when there seemed to come no end to the restless pacing. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Sai stopped with a start and gave him a startled look as if only now noticing he was there. "No, not really… I mean, I think Nobunori really will arrange for your friend to be sent home. You don't need to worry about her."

"But otherwise? He's really not doing anything about it?"

"I think so. But I will." Sai gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I definitely will. But I'm not sure what, though. I thought about writing to my father and asking him, but… it will take so long for the message to reach Musashi and even longer before we get the reply, and by the time the whole thing will be forgotten."

"So what _will_ you do?"

"I don't know." Sai sat down with a sigh. "Maybe I'll go to see someone else. I wonder if I could see the emperor himself…" He thought about their visit on the previous day, and realized he most likely could. "Or maybe Nobunori's father would be a better choice…"

"You think he is any more interested in this than his son?" Hikaru asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure. But he at least is in a position to do something. And in the end, there's no use to go to meet someone who has no power."

"I guess…"

A moment they both sat there in silence deep in their own thoughts. Then Sai suddenly looked up. "So I am strange, huh?" he said with a wry smile.

Hikaru remembered what he had said to his mother earlier that day and shrugged, blushing a little. "Well, you are," he said somewhat defensively. "I mean, you must _know_ you are! You're not at all like the other nobles."

"Personally I think they are the ones who are strange, but whatever. Come, let's play a game."

"What? Now?" Hikaru looked at him in surprise. "Do we have _time_ for that?"

"Maybe not, but I need to calm down, and gather my thoughts. And nothing helps like a game."

In the end, they played three. Then Sai sent Hikaru home and decided to go to meet his mother's cousin, Nobunori's father.

.

Going to see the Minister of the Left wasn't such a simple business, but being family Sai didn't have to wait long before he was let in. They were at the palace – he had hoped the minister would be at his private city mansion, for there the meeting could have been a little less formal, but overall he was just happy to get to meet the man so swiftly. They had met before, of course, but Sai didn't really know him well at all, and hadn't been quite sure how he would be welcomed.

After having exchanged their greetings they sat down, and Sai was relieved to note they were left alone and at least had some privacy for their discussion.

"I heard from Nobunori you had somehow got involved in the kidnapping case of some young commoner girl," Fujiwara no Tadahira said.

Sai grimaced inwardly. It just figured that Nobunori would have warned his father.

"This was a neighbor of a boy who works for me," he said with a polite bow of his head. "He was very distressed about it, and I felt I had to do something."

"Good," Tadahira said with a nod. "It is a proper thing to do to look after your own, and those close to them. But one can overdo everything."

"Maybe. But don't both Buddha and Confucius teach of compassion to your fellow men? Is it fair to help one, and to leave the others at their fate? And how can we, in the first place, let something like this happen? Nobunori says it's the way the world is and I can't change it – well, maybe _I_ can't, but there are those who could if they just wanted to."

Tadahira was watching him with a smile. "You do have a great sense of right and wrong, and that does make me happy. But there is one thing you must realize: not even the most powerful man can change the world with a snap of his fingers. The world of politics is one of compromises – for there are always those even the strongest don't want to make their enemies."

Sai listened to him with a frown. "Are you trying to say that there are some powerful people involved in this, some that you don't want to anger? What about the emperor, then? Certainly he could…"

"Sai," the minister said levelly. "You should follow Nobunori's advice and let the matter rest. You won't be making it any better, and you'll just end up harming yourself."

.

Sai left the palace quite disappointed. He hadn't been hoping for much, but still he had thought the minister would do something, at least promise to look into it. Well, at least he had been honest about it and had given no empty promises, but that was no consolation, in the end.

He told his palanquin to go ahead, for he wanted to walk home and think. He hadn't taken many steps outside the palace, though, before another palanquin stopped by him and a head peeked out of it.

"Good day to you!" Sugawara no Akitada greeted him heartily. "On a walk?"

"I…" Sai paused, caught off guard. "Well, actually, I'm just…" He glanced away, awkwardly, not really wanting company at the moment. But then he came to think it might be useful to talk about the situation with someone, get an opinion of one much more experienced in the workings of this world of politics.

"I happened to see you," Akitada went on while his thoughts raced, "and I wondered if you would be inclined to join me today for a game or two. But if you are busy…"

"No, I'm not busy," Sai replied making his mind on the spot. "I'd be happy to play with you, you know that. But… there's something on my mind, and I'm not sure what I should do about it… maybe you could offer me some advice?"

"With great pleasure! Shall you ride with me? You can tell me what troubles you on the way."

Sai climbed into the palanquin and sat down opposite to Akitada. He considered a moment to find the correct words, while the other man waited in polite silence.

"It is, maybe, a somewhat strange tale," Sai finally started. "But there is this boy in my service, and a few days ago, a neighbor of his, a young girl, was kidnapped. He came to me, and I talked to my cousin, and he was able to find out – alarmingly quickly, coming to think of it – that the girl was being transported to work in the provinces. He says she has already been sent back, but… I find it quite troubling that something like this can happen in our very capital, and no one seems to really care. What of the other people who share her fate?"

"Hmm." Akitada tapped thoughtfully his chin with his fan. "I take it you have been talking to the Minister of the Left?"

"Yes." Sai nodded. "It's just that… he… he…" He fell silent, not wanting to say anything bad about his relative. Akitada nodded in understanding.

"I could have told you it is pointless," he said. "Interfering in a matter like this would bring him more trouble than it's worth."

"I just feel I have to do something. Maybe if I saw the Minister of the Right…"

Akitada sighed. "Even more pointless. He is more a poet than a politician, and even if he wanted to help you, he wouldn't go against his cousin, the Minister of the Left. No – I don't think you can find anyone in the whole Fujiwara family to help you on this matter." He gave his companion a wry smile. "It's not always a blessing to have one family in the control of everything."

"Who, then?" Sai asked looking at him inquiringly. "You must have someone in your mind."

"Indeed," Akitada replied with a smile. "But let me think about this – this is a matter where one must proceed carefully."

Sai nodded smiling back at him. "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some trouble brewing in this story... but I had to cut the chapter here to get something up for now. Work sure can be tiring... I'll _try_ to keep on updating once a week, but can't promise anything. Reviews always inspire writers, remember. ;)
> 
> And then, totally off topic, but I have a little **anime rec** : I just recently watched (and rewatched) an anime called _The House of the Five Leaves_ , and _loved_ it. If you think you'd like a historical anime (Edo period, quite historically accurate at least to my inexpert eye) that's slow-paced and beautiful, you have to try it out. This anime needs a fandom! I wrote about it on my dreamwidth journal (username: tuulentupa), if you want to read more about it. It's (atm) the latest unlocked entry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

When Hikaru returned home, he found his parents waiting for him. He could see right away that his father was not happy, but he pretended not to notice anything and just gave them a lighthearted greeting and headed toward his room.

"Hikaru?" his mother's voice stopped him. "I think we need to talk."

Well, he mused as he returned to them, it was always a good sign when his mother was the one to do the talking. But when he sat down with his parents, it was his father who started speaking.

"I hear something quite peculiar happened here today," he said. "Would you care to explain to us just what is going on with this… this..." He seemed to be at a loss how to describe Sai. "This Fujiwara lord," he finally finished.

"You know I work for him. Just the, normal stuff, you know. And now I thought I could ask his help with Akari, and…"

"Of course, and we're happy if he really managed to help, but… your mother thought there was something strange going on."

"He is a little odd," Hikaru admitted. "But not in bad ways. Just… pretty informal. What about that?"

His parents shared a look. "Be that how it may," his father said in a careful tone, "we thought it would be better if you stopped working there. It has been a little strange from the very beginning," he went on raising his hand to silence Hikaru's protests. "We were thinking to see how it would go, and I must admit it has so far seemed a little too good to be true – well, maybe it was. There is something shady about this whole affair, and we don't want you to become involved in anything… weird."

His mother was nodding. "It is just as your father says, Hikaru. We want what's the best for you, surely you understand that? It did seem maybe this job would open doors to you that we didn't even think to be possible, but… no, wait listen to me, Hikaru! I have worked for a lady, and I know how the world of the nobility works, and I have a bad feeling about this lord of yours. Maybe he is, as you say, just harmlessly odd – but I worry what life would be like for you in the service of someone like him. He is not a dependable master, one that would last among the sharks of this city."

"But…" Hikaru still tried, but his father just shook his head, not listening to him.

"No, this is our decision, and it is the best for you. When you go there tomorrow, inform them it will be your last time. From then on, you will come fishing with me, until we find something else for you. And if we don't," he added in a warning tone which made it clear he actually meant 'if you are not able to hold what we find,' "you'd better be prepared to be a fisherman."

.

Akari came home next day. Hikaru was glad to see her, of course, but somehow he wasn't quite as happy as he could have been. He was just leaving to Sai's mansion when he saw her running down the street and rushing to her home, where the happy shouts were loud enough even for him to hear them. He took a step to follow her, but thought then a moment and turned away.

He had never taken such a long time to reach Sai's place. He shuffled along, kicking stones on his way, and once he reached the white wall enclosing Sai's mansion he idled about by the gate a long while before stepping in. Ayaka was there, and she told him that although Sai had been supposed to spend this day at the university, he was still at home. Hikaru wasn't sure if he was happy about this or not.

"Stupid Akari," he muttered to himself as he the servant girl to Sai's study. "If she hadn't got herself kidnapped this would never have happened…"

Sai was sitting by his desk writing a letter when Hikaru arrived. He looked shortly up from his writing and smiled quickly at the boy. "Sit down for a moment, won't you? I'm soon finished," he said, and Hikaru slumped down on the floor. He was in no hurry to tell the news.

Sai finished his letter and lowered his brush. "You seem to be in a gloomy mood today," he remarked, and Hikaru snorted.

"Well, if I am, it's _your_ fault," he snapped, and Sai raised his eyebrows at him. "Why did you have to come to my home? It's not something nobles normally do, you know? And the way you were chatting with my mother, as if she was somebody…"

"But she _is_ somebody, isn't she?" Sai cut him off. "She is your mother."

"You know what I mean!" Hikaru yelled. "They got suspicious about you and think you're somehow weird and that it's better for me not to come here anymore! And they're right!"

Sai blinked. "You think it's better for you not to come here anymore too?"

"No! I meant the weird part!"

Sai stared at him a moment and looked then down at his letter with a sigh, shaking his head slightly. Then he called a servant and handed him the letter. "This is for my father," he said, and picked then up another one. "And this, it is for Taira no Sansho."

The servant bowed and left with the letters, and Sai turned back to his young student.

"So, you are not to work for me anymore?" he asked.

"Yes! They said that I must stop. That they'll come up with something else, or if not, I'll just have to be a fisherman like dad. _And I don't want to!_ "

Sai frowned at his shriek. "Hikaru, please stop shouting. It hurts my ears. It is an unfortunate turn of events, but then again – you never were really working here, were you? Maybe you should…"

"I helped to fix that bridge," Hikaru put in, offended, but Sai waved the comment away.

"Maybe you _should_ try to find yourself a real work. I mean, I don't know what you plan to do with your life, and I certainly do enjoy teaching you go and I don't want to stop that, but…"

"Why do I have to 'do something with my life'?" Hikaru complained, lying down on the floor on his back. "Why can't I just play go?"

"If I don't remember wrong, you're the one who once said something about having food to eat and a roof on your head," Sai pointed out. "Maybe it's not so bad? You can always come here to play when you have time."

"I'm going to be so busy I won't have any time," Hikaru muttered miserably. "Especially if I'm going to have to work with dad." He shot an accusing glare at Sai. "I thought you'd be a bit more sympathetic."

"I don't like this anymore than you do," Sai said (which Hikaru thought _had_ to be a lie, for _Sai_ wasn't the one who'd have to go fishing early every morning and then sell smelly fishes on the market place) "but they are your parents. If they say you can't come here…"

"…then I can't," Hikaru finished the sentence darkly. "Where I've heard that before? Just don't _you_ go and die now."

"Huh?" Sai stared at him in confusion, but he didn't clarify, just sat up on the floor and shrugged angrily.

"Why can't I just stay here?" Hikaru asked suddenly. "Like, for good? I _could_ do some real work, I really could, if that's what it's up to."

"You mean you'd run away from home? Didn't you hear what I just said about your parents…"

"Yeah, but they're wrong! They say they think it's the best for me – well it isn't! You know that! Why would it be better for me to be a fisherman than stay here? I could drown or something! Well, I could!" he added at Sai's amused snort. "Stuff like that does happen, you know."

"Hikaru…" Sai tried to cut him off gently, but the boy wasn't listening.

"I could stay here and help fixing places, or cleaning, or… or doing the laundry and cooking, or even in the stables, and I could run messages, and then we could play when we want to, and…"

"Hikaru," Sai said more sternly. "That's nonsense. I'm not letting you run away from your home. That would just cause trouble. But if it's so important to you, I could have a word with your parents. I could pretend to be a proper, un-weird gentleman."

Hikaru grimaced. "As if that'd help. Dad's so paranoid, and he'd just get more suspicious if you were so eager to keep me here."

"In that case I don't really see much we can do about this, at least for now. Let's just wait and see how things will proceed, alright? Who knows, maybe you'll find some occupation you'll like."

"Maybe," Hikaru said with a deep sigh, clearly not believing it.

"But," Sai said, deciding it was time to change the subject, "as for our other unfinished business – the slave traders, I mean – I have just sent a letter to someone who I hope might be of help. I met yesterday I friend of mine, and I was talking with him about this ugly state of affairs, and he mentioned someone who might be in the position to help us. He's a samurai who has now been living a while in the eastern provinces, but he is currently visiting the capital, so I sent him a letter about the matter."

"Your friend thinks this guy is willing to help?"

"He wasn't sure, but as soon as he mentioned this man, I decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. This man is from the provinces himself, so he should have a good idea how things work there, but he is a well-known figure here in the capital too, having served in the court in his youth. I also wrote to my father about this matter, and asked if he knows Taira no Sansho, as apparently he's been living in our neighbor provinces. But it will take some time before I get his reply."

"It's great someone's doing something," Hikaru said, and remembered then something. "Oh, Akari's back! I saw her coming home when I was coming here."

"That is brilliant!" Sai's smile was wide. "Is she alright?"

"Well, I... I don't know, at least she was running pretty fast, so I guess."

"Did you not go to see her?"

"Nah, I… I thought she should see her family first." Hikaru avoided Sai's gaze as he said that – it wasn't completely true, but it provided such an understandable excuse that Sai swallowed it easily.

"Well, it is a relief that at least she has been able to return to her home. We have not been completely useless here. Tell her I'm happy she's safe, and very sorry of what has happened to her – if you don't think she'll find that too weird, that is," he added with a sideward, perhaps a tad injured glance at Hikaru.

"I will. …can we play now? I know you've got your studies, but I really don't know when I can come next time, and…"

"Of course!" Sai said with a laugh. "It's not like we could do anything else before I get a reply."

As they played, Sai watched his young student, thinking how peculiar it was that someone with Hikaru's background and nature would have such inherent skill for go. The boy hadn't been playing yet for a year, and though his game was still raw, it seemed that every time they played he had evolved a little. He himself had been playing all his life, ever since he had been old enough to understand he was not supposed to eat the stones. He couldn't yet say for sure if Hikaru would ever quite reach his level – and he himself wasn't planning to be stuck on his current level, for if Hikaru's game evolved, so did his – but the boy certainly had great potential. It would be a shame to let it be wasted. He could but hope they would find some solution that would let Hikaru to continue visiting him.

When Hikaru returned home, he was somehow in a much better mood. They had played quite a many games, discussed them long into the evening, and Sai had even praised a move of his, which didn't happen often. When he stepped in, his parents were waiting for him, giving him searching looks, but he just greeted them cheerfully.

"I saw Akari running home when I left," he said. "Is she okay?"

"Yes," his mother said, relief in her voice. "They came to visit us, to thank us, as if we had done anything. She wanted to see you, and I said you'd go there when you come home, if it's not too late."

"Oh?" Hikaru thought a moment. "Well, it's not that late, is it? I'll go to see her."

"Did all go fine?" his father asked when he turned to go.

"Yeah, just fine," he said over his shoulder. "But let me tell you, they're disappointed to lose me, so if you ever change your mind…"

He left, and his parents stared after him not quite knowing what to think.

.

"Hikaru!" Akari exclaimed the moment he appeared at their front door. She rushed to him and clung to his neck before he could react.

"Ah… Akari?" He patted awkwardly her back. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She sniffed. "But I was _so_ scared there. I didn't know where they were taking us, but then this man came on horse and told them he'd take me, and it was just like a dream… And he took me back to the city and then I just ran home, and I just can't… can't believe I'm really back…"

"We are very thankful to you, Hikaru," her father said. "You and your… master… though I gather you are not working for him anymore."

"No." Hikaru passed the question with one word. "Want to hang out a while?" he asked Akari. "You're not going to sleep yet, are you?"

"No, I'm not. Can I go?" she asked her parents, and, getting a permission, they went out.

They walked a while in silence as Hikaru wasn't quite sure what to say. He wanted to point out that apparently her job hadn't been quite as great as his, but even he realized it might not be the right time for such taunts.

"Was it him?" Akari suddenly asked.

"Who?" Hikaru asked in surprise.

"The one who came to get me! Was he your master?"

"Sai? No. I think it was probably some of his cousin's retainers, or something."

"Oh." Akari sounded a little disappointed. "But he was so handsome…"

"He wouldn't have been there at all without me," Hikaru pointed out a little snappily.

"True. Thanks, Hikaru." She smiled at him, but looked then away the smile dying. "I feel like such a fool," she muttered. "I should have known it was too good to be true."

"I could have told you that," Hikaru said lightly. "I think I did, didn't I? Like, who'd want to… hire you…" He glanced at Akari from the corner of his eye, expecting the familiar outburst, but it didn't come and the girl just walked on her eyes on the ground.

"Eh…" he uttered, trying to come up with something to say. "Hey, do you want to play some go?"

"Now?" Akari looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah! It… it just always makes me feel better, so I thought, you know …"

She smiled at him. "It would be fun."

They found their old cracked go board waiting for them in the abandoned house, and sat down by it.

"It has been pretty long since we've been playing," Akari said as they started a game. "I haven't seen you much ever since you started your job."

"Yeah," Hikaru muttered as he placed down a stone. "I just…" He stopped to think. It was true he hadn't been playing with Akari but a few times since Sai had started teaching him. "Sorry. I guess I was busy." _I guess I thought you aren't good enough to play with_ , he thought. _Which you aren't, really…_

"I've been coming here on my own, though," Akari went on, unaware of his thoughts, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Why?"

"I don't know… I guess I just like go?" She frowned at the board. "I think you like it too. You have been playing, haven't you? You've got better."

"Mmm… wish I could say the same of you," Hikaru said as he too looked at the board. "There's no way you can win this one."

"How can you say that!? We aren't that far yet!"

"Look. All these stones in this corner are dead. You can't do anything to save them, you just hurt yourself if you try. And losing that many stones will lose this game for you…"

Akari stared at the stones he was pointing at. "Dead? What do you mean dead? I…"

"Let me show you." Hikaru started placing stones down on the board. "If you go here, and then here and here, it might look promising at first, but I can cut your stones apart here, and then…"

He fell silent as he realized Akari was staring at him, not the board. He frowned. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes…" the girl said slowly. "But…"

"But what?"

"You've changed. You've never before been so… so serious about this. About anything. You're actually _teaching_ me."

Hikaru just blinked at her, and she laughed a little. "So what is going to happen if you cut my stones there? Can't I just play here?"

"Sure." Hikaru too turned back to the board. "But then I'll play here. See?"

Akari didn't, but they went on with the game, with Hikaru explaining everything, and for the first time she was beginning to feel there was something deeper in this game than she could ever understand.

...

Sai waited eagerly a reply to his letter. He spent the next day too at his mansion so that he would get it the moment it would arrive, but nothing happened. He wished Hikaru would get a chance to pay him a visit, but there was no sign of the boy either. He spent the day replaying old games and mulling over go problems presented in Wang Chi-hsin's _Classic of Go_ , an old favorite of his, although by now he knew it by heart.

The day turned into night, and once the next day too was growing old without any reply, he decided to send another message. This time he did get a reply, though not from the origin he would have expected. The messenger as well was quite surprising.

"Nobunori! Great to see you," he greeted his cousin, happy about the possibility of a game.

"One just can't leave you without a guard," Nobunori muttered instead of a greeting. He sat down and gestured to Sai to sit as well. "Listen, I don't now where you got the idea to contact Taira no Sansho, but the next time, before you do something like that, _please_ consult someone. _What_ were you trying to accomplish?"

"I think you should know," Sai said with a frown. "I merely thought he might be in the position to do something about this matter, but it sounds like I was wrong."

"He could do much, you're right about that. It's just that… Sai." Nobunori leaned forward, looking his cousin seriously into the eyes. "He is a provincial lord, with great estates and riches, and many of those people most likely ended up working on his lands. He _needs_ those people. And you go and write to him about helping to free them? It is, I admit, quite a comic situation, and luckily he is mainly amused about your letters… though from our point of view it is all mainly tragicomic. Did we not tell you to let this matter drop?"

"If you know who are the ones behind this, why don't you do anything!" Sai exclaimed. "If this Sansho knowingly uses work force that has been kidnapped, how can he be allowed…"

Nobunori hit angrily his tight with his fan. "You just don't listen, do you! Do you want to make an enemy of the Taira clan? Listen, and listen well! Father's not happy with you. Now what you're going to do is to send an apology to Sansho-sama, a well-worded one, and I want to read it first, and then… you do nothing. Got it? Nothing."

Sai's lips pursed as he stared at his angry cousin. "I'm just trying to do what's right," he said, voice quivering a little. "I'm not writing that letter."

"Sai…" Nobunori exhaled, at his patience's limits. "Please don't be difficult."

"I'm not writing it!" Sai yelled. He bounced up and, wide sleeves flying behind him, turned his back to his cousin. "I'm not."

Nobunori sighed. "Fine," he muttered. "I'll do it for you. But you'd better realize that I'm serious. The time is delicate, and we don't want you to cause any trouble. You might have to return to the provinces, if you can't behave yourself here."

He rose up and left, and Sai turned to look after him, frightened. Return to the provinces? No matter how much he missed his childhood home and his father, the idea was horrifying. He didn't want to believe Nobunori really meant it, but he knew his cousin well enough to know he didn't use any empty threats.

Lips pressed tightly together he rushed out of the room to his study. There he sat down by his go board, on which still lay the game he had been studying earlier that day, one of the games he had played with Akitada. He sat there staring at it a long while before angrily swiping the stones off it and turning his back to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally blame the whole kidnapping thing (which came to this story from nowhere) on _Sansho the Bailiff_ , and so I decided that someone might as well be called Sansho here. I don't know if Sansho is supposed to be a family name or a given name, though, but whatever.
> 
> I took Wang Chi-hsin's _Classic of Go_ from a book I recently read, _Sugawara no Michizane and the Early Heian Court_. There's this account of a poem Michizane wrote to a close friend of his, Wang Tu, after watching him play go, and it amused me so I thought I'd share:
> 
> _A life or death struggle over the Way!  
>  Instead of talking with your moves, you talk with your mouths:  
> After time and again shamelessly taunting each other,  
> In a fury, you shout, "Chi-hsin's my relative!"_
> 
> Passionate go games from the Heian age. xD


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A few days passed, and Hikaru spent them fishing with his father. The evenings, though, he was allowed to spend with Akari – almost expected, it seemed. He didn't mind, as he found it surprisingly fun to teach her go, but he was beginning to wonder when he would be able to sneak to Sai's place. He thought about ditching her, but somehow she had been so quiet after the kidnapping incident that the thought made him feel bad.

Then, one evening when they once again were sitting in their little corner in the abandoned house where the roof was not leaking too badly – it was the beginning of the sixth month, and the rainy season had arrived to Heian-kyo – Akari suddenly looked up from their game.

"Who's been teaching you?" she asked.

Hikaru looked at her with a start, his hand forgotten hovering above the board. "I told you before! I've just been watching when some lords play, and…"

"Sure," Akari snorted. "You don't learn that much just by watching others play!"

Hikaru placed the stone he was holding down on the board to get some time to think. "Well, you see, this guy was teaching someone else, and I watched them, and so…"

"You're lying to me," Akari stated flatly. "I _know_ you! Come on, you can tell me! Do you think I'm going to tell on you?"

"No… but…" Hikaru looked away and thought. It might in fact be useful to have an accomplice. Maybe Akari could cover for him while he'd go to play go.

"You know, this lord I used to work for… I wasn't really working for him. He was teaching me go."

Akari looked at him with wide eyes. "Why?" she asked.

"I don't know! Because I'm so great? I just met him on the street one day, and then we played a game, and then he wanted to start teaching me."

Akari's look turned from astonished to skeptical. "You're still lying to me, aren't you? That just can't be true."

"It is true! Always when I went to his place… okay, so I did do some work too, but then we'd play. He's really good."

"I just… no. Sorry, Hikaru, you need to come up with something better. That's too…"

"Alright, I'll prove it to you! Come!" He jumped up and grasped her arm.

"What? Hikaru, where are we going to? Wait, we'll get all wet!"

He didn't listen to her, but dragged her out and started running. "It's just water, Akari!" he shouted to her. "You're not afraid of water, are you?"

As they ran through the empty streets in the pouring rain, Akari couldn't help but wonder why she let him drag herself with him so easily. When Hikaru came to a stop by the back gate of a grand mansion, she hesitated.

"Hikaru, are you sure we should…"

"Stop worrying, Akari! He's a friend of mine." Hikaru pushed the gate open, and she followed him in, uncertain.

Ayaka was the one to see them first. She clapped her hands together. "Hikaru! You're dripping wet! Wait, wait there, I'll get you some blankets."

She came back soon, and watched Akari curiously as the two tried to dry themselves at least a little. "Who is this?"

"A friend of mine," Hikaru said. "She's the one who was kidnapped, and she wanted to come to thank Sai…sama herself." Once again, he almost forgot the honorific. But Sai had but himself to blame, he thought to himself, for never insisting he should use it.

"Ah, I see." Ayaka nodded her head to Akari. "Well, it is perhaps a good thing you came. Maybe you'll cheer him up a bit."

"Cheer him up?" Hikaru asked as she started leading them on. "What is wrong?"

"I wouldn't know. Nobunori-sama visited him the other day, and since then he has been moping." She shook her head. "That's the only word I can use of it. He really can behave like a baby – don't tell him I said that. Here we are."

She let them into a room where Sai was sitting, leaning his elbow against his knee as he watched the rain fall outside. Hearing someone coming, he glanced back. Not even seeing Hikaru was enough to bring a smile on his face, but as he noticed Akari behind Hikaru's back, curiosity lighted up in his eyes.

"Hikaru? Who is your friend?"

"This is Akari," Hikaru said, and Akari bowed very, very deep. "You know, she's the one who was kidnapped."

A spectrum of emotions flashed across Sai's face, so quickly that Hikaru couldn't quite figure them out, but then the youth finally smiled.

"Akari? I'm happy to see you are fine. I hope no one hurt you?"

"No, my lord," Akari said, bowing again. "Thank you, my lord." She would have kept on bowing, but Hikaru elbowed her, making her stop.

"I told her you're teaching me go," he said, "and she didn't believe me."

Akari blushed. "It's just… I mean…" she stuttered, but Sai just smiled at her.

"I am teaching him! And it is great fun. Do you play too?"

"Actually, umm, Hikaru's been teaching me," she said with a hesitant glance at the boy. "But I'm really not good at all."

"That's true, at least!" Hikaru said. "It's such a waste to teach someone like her, really…"

"Hikaru," Sai admonished him. "That's a bit like Nobunori telling me I'm wasting my time teaching you."

"Yeah, but…" Hikaru paused, embarrassed, and Akari snickered a little at his baffled expression.

"Why don't you play a game with me?" Sai said to Akari, and the girl's eyes widened in shock. "I'm curious to see how good a teacher this student of mine is. Come, my board is here."

He entered the next room, never even noticing Akari's shock.

"Hikaru…" the girl whispered a little panicky. "What will I do?"

"Play with him, of course! And try to play well, I don't want him to think I can't teach!"

Akari shot him a glare, but went after Sai and sat down by the go board with him. They started a game, and Hikaru saw soon that it was a teaching game. Akari was nervous in the beginning, hesitating before her moves, but with time she got to the rhythm of the game, grew more confident, and, Hikaru figured, didn't play such a bad game for her skill.

"Thank you for the game," Sai said when the game was over. "Thank you," Akari too whispered with a bow of her head.

"What do you say, Hikaru?" Sai turned to the boy. "Any comments?"

Hikaru opened his mouth, but closed it then again and bent thoughtfully over the board.

"I think you're still a bit too focused on territory," he said to Akari. "And capturing your opponents stones. Like here, you could have let him take this stone and instead played here or here, to secure this corner. You should try to see farther into the game, and take the whole board into account, not just what you are currently doing."

"Exactly what I've been telling you, Hikaru," Sai said cheerfully and the boy blushed. "Common mistakes for a beginner. But the exchange in the center was a very good one. You have a good, solid foundation for you game." He smiled brightly. "So much interest for go! Maybe I should start a go school for commoners."

"I bet your cousin would love that," Hikaru said with a laugh.

Sai's face darkened. "All the more reason to do it," he muttered. Hikaru looked at him questioningly but he didn't elaborate. "Let's play a game," he said instead. "You can watch," he added to Akari. "It is one way to learn."

As the game started, she watched it keenly, doing her best to understand the reasons behind the moves, but the farther the game got, the more confused she grew. Her attention drifted from the game itself to the players. She could, kind of, understand why Hikaru's parents had grown nervous about their son working for this young, strange lord. She didn't know much about the workings of the world of the Good People, but he simply did not fit in what little she knew. She wondered if he possibly was for some reason faking his friendliness, but couldn't fathom why. Now, though, sitting in front of his go board he seemed different. More serious, stern, _focused_ … less like a happy, bubbly kid, and more like a real lord.

And Hikaru, then… She looked at her friend, and was startled to see a similar change in him. Hikaru had never been one who could concentrate long for one thing, but now his whole attention was on the board, unwavering. It seemed to her an earthquake could take place, and he wouldn't notice anything – at least as long as the stones would not fall from the board. He seemed like a completely different person from the boy she had used to know, and it frightened her a little.

"Very good, Hikaru!" Sai said when the game was over. "You tried a little too hard in the beginning, but the latter half makes this one of your best games. Were you trying to impress someone?" He looked at the boy with a smile, and Hikaru blushed bright red.

"Why would I want to impress anyone?" he muttered and started collecting the stones from the board. "I think we should be going," he said to Akari.

The girl nodded with a start, realizing how late it was.

Sai looked a little disappointed, but said nothing. They finished cleaning the board and placed the two bowls on it. "Take her again with you when you come, won't you?" Sai said to Hikaru when the two were leaving. "It was so nice to see you both."

"I might," Hikaru said. He wasn't sure he if really wanted to have Akari with him there. They were about to leave, but he paused yet, and turned back to Sai. "Say… you seemed a bit down when we came," he said hesitantly. "Is something wrong?"

Sai just shook his head, smiling a little sadly. "Nothing you should worry about. Try to come by when you just can, alright?"

"Sure!" And Hikaru and Akari were off.

Once the two had left, Sai spent a long while contemplating on what to do. He wished he already had a reply from his father – worried a little what his father would say, too – but it would still take at least a week for a letter to reach him. He did not feel like having anything to do with his cousin's family right then, and had too much on his mind to concentrate on his other studies. So he drafted a quick letter, inviting Akitada over the next day. He wasn't quite sure what he thought of the man right now, but he figured they should have a talk, and he felt more comfortable having it in his own home than at Akitada's place.

Next day the emperor's go teacher arrived right on schedule, and Sai received him nervously, and hoping he hid it well. They exchanged polite greetings, talked of this and that, the coming summer, the never-ending rain, the ripening plums. In the end it was Akitada who brought up the matter on Sai's mind.

"I heard a rumor that you indeed did contact Taira no Sansho," he said. "I would have wanted to think him more of a gentleman than he turned out to be."

"Yes, I... things did not proceed with him like I thought they would," Sai said carefully. "So you do not… know him personally?"

"Just by reputation. He is called a virtuous man, having served our country well and long." Akitada shook his head. "I am sorry he was of no help for you. So often one finds himself disappointed in his fellowmen."

"Yes." Sai let out a deep sigh, feeling a little relieved. "And I'm disappointed in myself, too. I want to help those poor people, yet there is nothing I can do. It's just so… frustrating."

Akitada nodded knowingly. "Perhaps in this case it is impossible to do anything. But in the future – maybe you can work now to stop things like this from happening again."

"You're right." Sai fell silent and thought a long while, staring into the distance. "Yes, we have to change people's attitudes. It might take long, but with time… certainly it can be done." He looked at Akitada. "Can't you talk with the emperor himself? You must be close with him, being his go teacher. If he took a clear stance here, that in itself would be much."

"I can certainly mention it to him," Akitada said, fanning himself thoughtfully. "But I can't promise you anything. I am not sure if his majesty is interested in such matters."

Sai looked a little saddened. "I have always thought his majesty to be a fair ruler," he muttered. "But if not him…" His eyes brightened, as the remembered the little boy who had played with the colorful stones. "There is always prince Hiroakira. Once he grows up…"

"Oh? So he _will_ be the crown prince, then? I had wondered about it."

Sai glanced at him cautiously, remembering he wasn't supposed to talk about this. But then again, he thought, why should he be so interested in what Nobunori and his father wanted him to talk about and what not?

"Yes," he said. "He seems to be such a bright little boy. I met him at the palace one day, you see. We played… well, I'm not sure if it was quite go what we played, but at the very least he grew interested in the game."

"So I have heard," Akitada said, a little coldly, but Sai didn't notice.

"I am really quite happy he will be the emperor. I liked him. And the little princess, too, she was so serious, but sweet in her own way."

"Serious little princess? Do you mean Hiroko-hime?" Akitada raised his eyebrows at him. "Though I am not sure if sweet is a word I'd use for her."

"Yes, I saw her too there. And I thought she was sweet! Very determined, though. She will make a good…" He paused, catching himself in time. Akitada looked at him expectantly, and he gave an awkward laugh. "I fear sometimes I just talk too much," he said.

"Perhaps," Akitada agreed with a smile. "A good empress, were you going to say? Yes, she might make that. And _that_ is hardly any great secret. Of course, there are many who would like to see their daughters and granddaughters marrying the emperor – but keeping in mind her parentage, I would have found it very surprising indeed if she would not be one of our future emperors consorts, though whether she will be the empress remains to be seen."

"I hope she will. But be that how it may, I am happy you came to see me today. I was growing quite desperate, but now I feel again I can perhaps still do some good."

Akitada laughed out loud. "Oh, there are chances for all of us to do some good as long as we live, aren't there? But I can't remain long today. Wouldn't you play one game with me before I leave?"

"You know I'm always ready for a game," Sai said with a happy smile, and they went to find his go board.

...

The summer proceeded quietly. Rains ceased, and the weather turned hot and sunny, and spending his days at his father's fishing boat Hikaru was beginning to long for a cooling downpour. He took his chance to jump into the water as often as he could, and his father used to ask him if he imagined he was going to catch fish swimming. He visited Sai when he could, which wasn't often, and at times did take Akari with him. She didn't mind much being left behind though, for she felt a little awkward watching the two of them play, as if standing by the gate to a world she didn't belong to.

For Sai too, the summer was quiet and uneventful. He received a letter from his father, where he was told not to have any contact with Taira no Sansho – his father declared the man an uncivilized brute – and also, even his father advised him not to pursue the matter any longer. But at least he didn't reprove him for wanting to do so, on the contrary praised his sense of justice, which did make him feel a little better.

He did not see his cousin much during the time, still angry with him, and the only reason he attended the various events and festivals was to try to find people who would be sympathetic to his cause. He was careful, though, with his probing, remembering Nobunori's warning. And overall, he was left disappointed. At the end of the sixth month, he followed the ceremony of the Great Purification at the palace with somewhat amused disdain. A group of imperial princes and officials, having attained ritual purity, performed a service to purge all his majesty's subjects of their impurity and sin. This happened every year, and Sai couldn't help thinking that it was not an overly effective ritual, based on all that was going on in the realm.

The quiet of the summer days was shortly disrupted by a tragedy in the Imperial Palace: one of the emperor's sons, a boy of only fifteen years, fell ill and died soon after. This caused a change in the usual happenings and ceremonies in the court – the annual wrestling competition was moved with many weeks. It didn't concern Sai much, for he did not attend the event anyway, though he found himself curious to see how gracefully the robust sumo wrestlers would have been able to perform court dances after the competition.

In the middle of the eighth month came the night of the Great Moon-Viewing, and though he was not inclined to go, in the end Sai agreed to follow his cousin to the festival at the palace. He was in a bad mood – he had not forgiven his cousin, and Nobunori's obvious amusement at his grudge didn't help. In addition, he hadn't seen Hikaru for over two weeks, and hadn't had a chance to play a game with Akitada for nearly a month. But as he watched the charming lake in which crisscrossed boats lit up with lanterns, and heard the soft tones from lute and zither, his mood began to improve.

Spotting some acquaintances he ditched his cousin and went to speak with them, the old, absent-minded go player Watanabe no Tadatsuna, and a new friend he had recently made, a young man with no skill in go but a large heart where others were concerned, Kose no Hiromasa. He joined them on their boat, declining his cousin's boat, and in the end the night turned quite pleasant. The sky was nearly cloudless, and the full moon presented a truly breathtaking sight. Watching its huge sphere rise from behind the dark silhouette of the garden's trees was enough to inspire even Sai to poetry that for once had nothing to do with go – though in one poem he did compare the huge disk of the moon to a white go stone.

Later in the night, as they gathered away from the lake but were not yet ready to leave home, Sai noticed Akitada in the crowd. As the elder man saw him approach, he nodded to the people he had been talking with, sharing a little smile with them, and came to talk with him.

"It has been a lovely night," Akitada said, and Sai nodded his agreement.

"I am happy to see you here," he said. "It has been too long since we have played go together."

"Indeed," Akitada nodded. "I have been busy. And about the matter on your mind – I have spoken with his majesty, and I'm afraid it is not something that would interest him."

Sai's face fell. "There are so very few here who are interested in anything else but their own welfare," he said with a sigh. "One would have hoped that at least the honored emperor would care of his subjects…"

"His majesty certainly does," Akitada admonished him. "You should not judge him so."

"No, of course not." Sai bowed his head. "I didn't mean it so…" He would have said more, but then a palace boy declared that the emperor had an announcement. Sai and Akitada gathered together with all others closer to the place where the emperor sat in his curtained dais.

"We have deemed this beautiful night to be the most auspicious time for this declaration," his majesty said in a resonant voice. "Let it be known that from this day onward, my eleventh son prince Hiroakira shall be my heir and crown prince. Moreover, I wish to declare that the daughter of my late son Yasuakira, Hiroko-hime, and the daughter of Fujiwara no Saneyori, the granddaughter of my Mininster of the Left, Yoshiko-hime, will be his imperial consorts."

"Yoshiko?" Sai said in surprise as people started to chatter and offer their congratulations. Akitada had stiffened by his side.

"You never mentioned her," he said.

"He can't tell you what he doesn't know," a smug voice said behind them. Sai turned around with a start and saw his cousin standing there.

"Nobunori!" he exclaimed. "Is that really true? Yoshiko will marry prince Hiroakira?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? She is a fine girl, my little niece, a very suitable consort for an emperor."

"I believe congratulations are in order," Akitada said a little stiffly. "Yet another little victory for your family."

"What ever do you mean, Akitada-sama? It is just an engagement that hardly should have surprised anyone. But thank you."

Akitada took his leave with a rigid bow, leaving the cousins alone.

" _I_ am surprised," Sai admitted. "I wouldn't have thought… I mean, Yoshiko… I'm not saying there were anything wrong in her, I'm sure she is very pretty and… well." She wasn't one even he would have called sweet, though.

"It is certainly a happy event for our family, isn't it?" Nobunori said as they started to walk away. "Now, if only my wife would some day give me a daughter too… wouldn't that be something? A wife of an emperor just might be the mother of one, too."

Sai shook his head. "I find it a little peculiar how being the grandfather of an emperor seems to be the aspiration of one's whole life for so many here."

Nobunori laughed. "And what do _you_ think is the pinnacle of life?"

Sai turned to look after Akitada who was standing by the emperor's dais, probably talking with the emperor himself.

"To be the emperor's go teacher," he said, and Nobunori laughed even harder.

"You really are something, aren't you?" he said wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

...

So passed the summer. In the autumn, another imperial prince died, the emperor's eldest son. Sai was beginning to grow accustomed to the rhythm of life in the capital – the never-ending ceremonies, rituals, festivals, deaths and births – for if the emperor had lost two sons this year, he had also gained one. Sai was also growing steadily more and more frustrated. It felt like he was caught in this endless cycle, and nothing would ever change it. The Eternal City seemed to deserve its nickname, both in good and bad.

Akitada laughed at his impatience when he complained of getting nothing done. "It has barely been half a year," he said. "How fast do you think you can change the world?" Nobunori wasn't quite as amused about his endeavors for making the world a better place, but in the end concluded he would not be able to do any real harm.

"Harmless fool who is a go maniac," he muttered one evening when, after a long, long time they were again playing a game of go together. "Is that really the reputation you want for yourself?"

"I am not interested in my reputation," Sai told him sternly, echoing the words he had once said in a much more good-natured manner, when they had been talking about Hikaru.

"Obviously," Nobunori muttered, shaking his head. "Maybe it won't matter that much. But your studies seem to be proceeding very well. At least the professors have only good things to say about you – for whatever that's worth."

"Yes… I decided I have to do my best to finish studying as soon as I can. I mean, passing the examinations will help to get an office, right? The faster I do that, the faster I'll be able to really do something."

"Or then you'll end up being sent to some far-off province as its governor," Nobunori muttered, eyeing their game. He shook his head. "I give up. You're just getting better, aren't you?"

"If it happens, then it happens," Sai stated philosophically. "Thank you for the game. But… even if I have to go to the provinces, those appointments are normally just for four years, aren't they? I'll be back."

"Hmm. I guess. Speaking of which, your father has now spent three times that time as the governor of Musashi. I doubt he'll be reappointed there again, whatever he'll say."

"Yes, I know that, and so does he. I don't believe he will be moving to the capital, though."

"You are weird ones, the both of you. But still family." Nobunori glanced up with a little smile, and Sai figured he was trying to make amends. He sighed softly, shook his head at his own thoughts.

"And such a peculiar family we are," he said with a little wry smile of his own.


	11. Chapter 11

The summer was left far behind,and once the eleventh month arrived, the rice harvest was completed. Gozechi Dances were held in the palace, and for weeks it was the only subject of conversation in the whole city. Sai was quite happy that he wasn't a girl, and so not in the danger of being selected as one of the four dancers – he wasn't sure how he'd deal with the attention they received. Who was the most attractive, the most gorgeously dressed, performed with greatest grace… it was, mainly a competition between the girls' patrons, and one wrong move could ruin everything.

"Isn't it the same with go?" Hikaru said with a yawn, as he had been babbling about his thoughts one day when they had finished playing. "One wrong move…" he yawned again.

"Well, yes, but… the dances are certainly beautiful, but the whole thing is so… superficial. Go is deep. You need skill to see its beauty…"

"I bet if it was a go competition, you'd be the first in line, not at all worried about the attention."

"Of course! But that would be something completely different."

Hikaru said nothing, nodding by the go board, and he gave the boy a searching look. "You seem to be pretty tired," he remarked. "How have you been doing? It's been a while."

"Yeah." Hikaru yawned once more. "Dad got me a job as a carpenter's apprentice. I don't know, it's okay, I guess. I kinda like it, building stuff. But I have to wake up so early and the days are long…"

"Are you still playing with Akari?"

"Every now and then. We're both kinda busy. I wish I could spend more time with go, but it's getting real hard."

"I wish it too – you have great skill for the game, you should not let it go wasted." Sai thought a moment, and started then rearranging the stones on the board. "Look, here's a problem for you to think about until we meet next time. It's something you can ponder on even if you don't have a go board at hand. It is quite hard, though, so try to memorize it well. Where should black move next?"

"Hard, huh?" Hikaru stared at the stones a while. "Okay. I'll tell you next time, then."

It took a long while before the next time arrived, but Hikaru got the answer right.

.

The year came to its end, and with the new year new appointments and ranks were announced. As they had expected, Sai's father's appointment as the governor of Musashi came to an end. He received a new post as the governor of Kawachi, one of the home provinces, only a few days journey from the capital. It was an absentee appointment. Sai smiled a little when he heard that, and as he had guessed, his father snapped his fingers at the absentee part, and promptly moved to Kawachi. Sai was happy, though, for now it was much easier for him to visit his father. They started a game of go through letters, now that there was no need to wait so long for a reply.

Sai's father rose in rank, too, to the junior fourth upper, for his exemplary service as a governor. He seemed to find it a little surprising, though Sai didn't quite understand why – in his mind, his father definitely deserved it. What did surprise him was when he himself was suddenly recommended for a graduate student, and became such.

"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed at Nobunori. "I have been studying there only for two years! It's much too soon."

"I told you the professors like you. And the university isn't what it once was… it means but a little these days. Would that you'd also get other people to like you than old musty professors, senile go players, and naïve youngsters from insignificant families."

"There's Akitada-sama," Sai pointed out. "He is a go player, but I don't think he counts as a senile one."

"Unfortunately not," Nobunori muttered. "You should be careful with him. He's an old, sly fox, and not from a family close to ours."

"He's been good to me," Sai defended Akitada. "And we share a passion for go – it is something that connects us even if our families don't."

Nobunori made a strange sound. "Sometimes I just can't believe how naïve you are. Play go with him if you must, but _please_ , don't trust him. You really don't know what's the best for you… oh, and that reminds me, there is a fourth group that likes you: commoners. Is that boy still coming here?"

"Hikaru? Yes, from time to time. He can't come often these days, but he is still playing go, and still developing. You should see him some day, you'd be astonished at how much he has learned! Though the past month he hasn't been making that much progress. I think it is because he's working too much. He is always so tired when he comes here." Sai frowned a little. "That is not good. Maybe I should, somehow, hire him again."

" _Again?_ No – don't tell me, I'm not sure I want to know. At least you've kept this matter quiet. Can you imagine how much you'd be ridiculed if the word got out you're teaching go to commoners? I bet even Akitada wouldn't agree to play with you after that."

Sai looked at him, his frown deepening, but said nothing.

Later that night, when he stopped to think about it, he realized how happy he was he had come to know Hikaru, and not just because he enjoyed teaching the boy. He wasn't sure if he otherwise had ever come to have any idea of what the commoners' life was like, and how many defects there were in how the beautiful, tranquil world of the capital operated. Most likely he would have spent his days happily playing go and studying the classics – which, he realized a little guiltily, was pretty much all he was doing these days.

He was watching Hikaru worriedly when the boy visited him. He couldn't help feeling the boy had to be working too much, for every time he seemed a little wearier than before. Sai had suggested that maybe, if it was too hard for him, he wouldn't have to come so often, but Hikaru just shook his head and muttered something about needing breaks for all the monotony. So Sai just made it a habit to stuff the boy with food whenever he came, and Hikaru didn't seem to mind. But still he was worn out and quiet, his games lacked their usual vitality, and Sai couldn't help feeling guilty when he told the boy the news he had.

"The spring is coming," he started in a roundabout way. "The roads aren't in such a bad condition anymore."

"Mmm," Hikaru said, his mouth full.

"So… I am going to visit my father," Sai went on, not looking at him. "It will be wonderful to see him again, I can't believe it has been two years since we have met…"

His voice faded away. Hikaru was staring at him, his jaws having a break from their busy grinding. Then he swallowed.

"When?"

"On the first day of next week. I would have left earlier, but I'm traveling south-west, which is at the moment an unlucky direction, so it is better to wait a few days."

The boy's face was blank, and he stared at Sai with a vacant look. "When will you come back?"

"Oh, I'm not sure… that is, actually, we were thinking I'd spend most of this year there… but that doesn't mean I wouldn't come to the capital too, Kawachi is not far away, you know."

"I thought you were going to be studying," Hikaru said.

"I can do it there, too, now that I'm graduate student. Father has a grand library, and some new volumes he got in Kawachi I'm very curious to see. I'll just come here for some occasional lectures and such."

"I see." Hikaru took another bite of the rice ball he was eating. "Well, I'm sure you'll have fun. Getting to play go with your dad and so on."

"Yes," Sai said, relieved. Hikaru seemed to be taking it better than he had thought. "I wasn't too happy about it, when father suggested it, but overall, it's not so bad. I'll get to see with my father what governor's work is in reality – I never really paid much attention to that in Musashi – and it's the kind of practical experience that might come useful. And I'm sure many go players will take this chance to come to visit my father, so I too will get to play with many people."

"Well, good for you," Hikaru muttered, and he felt another pang of conscience.

"You can ask Ayaka when I'm coming back. I'd be happy to see you when I'm here. And if you need anything, just come here."

"Yeah, sure." Hikaru finished his food. "I think I should be going."

"You'll come to see me yet before I leave?"

"I'll try," Hikaru said, and left.

.

When the time came for Sai to leave, he had not seen the boy again. He kept on glancing around as the last preparations were made, but there was no sign of Hikaru. He was a little disappointed, but perhaps there had come some hindrance and Hikaru just couldn't make it.

He jumped on his horse with less ease than he remembered from his childhood. He had decided to ride to Kawachi; it was a short enough way that although he had not been riding much at all during his time in the capital, he probably should make it without too much pain. He had used to ride often around the Musashi province with his father… certainly just a couple of years break wouldn't mean that much.

He rode off with a small retinue. For a moment he stopped to look back once they had passed the Rashomon gate. He had a very dim memory from his early childhood when he had left the capital with his parents. He had been impressed by the gate then, and it truly was a grand sight. Much better he remembered the excitement he had felt when he finally returned a decade later and caught sight of the gate and the city. During his stay there he had not needed to step outside of the capital for once. Now he nodded his head in farewell to the gate, and then turned his back to it and spurred on his horse, eager to meet his father again.

.

Although Sai had not seen him, Hikaru had been close by watching the preparations. He had stayed always behind a corner, making sure Sai wouldn't notice him. He wasn't happy to see the horses – they thwarted his plan a little. But he had made his mind, and as the small group started moving, he set out after them.

In the city it was easy to follow them without anyone noticing, but when they left it behind, for a moment they stopped to look back, and Hikaru hid in the gate. He was far enough he was sure Sai wouldn't recognize him even if he saw him, but he didn't want to take any chances.

The riders continued their way, and Hikaru threw his sack on his back. Lot's of walking ahead, but he wasn't scared of that. He took a step.

"Hikaru!" The sudden shout behind his back gave him a big start, and he spun around, panicking. To his relief (and annoyance) he saw only Akari.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, angrily.

"Surely that's my question!" The girl ran to his side. "Where are you going to?"

"None of your business," Hikaru stated and turned around. "See you!"

"Hikaru!" Akari ran after him as he started walking on. "I'm not going to leave you until you tell me what you're up to."

Hikaru glowered at her, but it had no effect. He stopped and sighed. "Okay. Might as well tell you, so you can tell my parents. Some day, not right away, understand?"

"Alright…" Akari said slowly, watching him with a suspicious look. "So?"

"Sai left to Kawachi, and I'm going there too."

After this short declaration they both stood perfectly still. "What?" Akari breathed then. "You…"

"I'm fed up," Hikaru said with a shrug. "I keep on working my ass off for that stupid carpenter, and what do I get of it? An apprentice isn't even properly paid, you know! Learning the trade! But I don't _want_ to learn it."

"You're being stupid, Hikaru," Akari said seriously. "Stupid and selfish! How can you leave your family like that? Just because some lord taught you a game you think you don't have to work for your living! What do you think you're going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll go after him, for now. I'll ask _him_ to give me a job, and to hell what my parents say."

"Why aren't you going with him, then?"

"I… I'm not sure if he'd have taken me. But I thought that if I go to him to Kawachi, then he'll see I'm serious. It's not such a long way, I can make it easily."

Akari shook her head, doubt in her eyes. "Hikaru, please…" she started to say, but the boy fixed his stubborn look to her, and she sighed.

"Take care, then," she said quietly. "I'll tell them… when? Your mother is going to be worried when you don't come home."

"Yeah… eh, just… tell them when you think it's the right time, okay? But do give me a head start."

The girl nodded and remained long by the gate watching after him.

.

For a while Hikaru saw the riders far ahead, but then they disappeared behind the horizon. He had planned he would be able to follow them at a short distance, but on horse they traveled much faster than they would have with ox carts. He didn't worry, though; he knew the direction he was going to, and if he'd somehow get lost, there would surely be other travelers who could point him to the right way. And there was a fine road to Kawachi, so it should be pretty easy.

He walked briskly, thinking through the things he had taken with him and wondering if he had forgotten anything. Salted fish and some rice for the journey, plus some water, and a blanket for the nights – they might still be a bit chilly, and he would have to spend them on the road. Hopefully something like three nights would be enough, maybe even two if he walked fast. Sai had said it was three days journey to Kawachi, right? Unless he'd meant by horse... Hikaru pondered on that a moment, but shrugged then. No matter – he wasn't turning back, even if the journey would take him half a year.

He grinned as he thought how astonished Sai would be when he appeared in Kawachi. He would surely understand Hikaru meant it when he said he would not go back home anymore. He'd get some job at the place, at the governor's mansion, and his parents too would be amazed when he'd some day return as a… a retainer? Why not.

He was beginning to get a little hungry, but with the excitement of the journey squirming pleasantly in his stomach he ignored it easily for a short while. He didn't have that much food with him, so he'd use it sparingly and sensibly. He walked on, watching the meadows around him and the mountains in the distance, and wondered how long he had walked. Glancing behind he realized he could still see the white city wall glisten in the sun, which was a mild disappointment. Well, he was on a hill. Maybe he had too good eyes. But he definitely wouldn't stop to eat as long as the city was still in view. _That_ wasn't sparing and sensible.

The sun climbed high on the sky, and started gradually to descend again. One of his sandals was beginning to rub his foot. At first he ignored it, then tried to put some leaves there, but it didn't really help, and in the end he took the sandal off. Whatever, it wasn't too cold to walk barefooted.

When he finally did stop, his stomach was rumbling with hunger. He ate a bit of the rice, and in the end also some fish, though he had planned to spare it. He took a gulp of the water, wondering how far it would get him. Surely he'd pass some springs and ponds sooner or later.

...

Sai's little entourage had arrived to the Ogura Pond, and they had stopped there to admire the scenery. There were some sakura trees by the little lake, but it was yet far too early for them to be blooming. Even so, the pond offered a beautiful view, and he decided to have a short break there, even though the journey was just in the beginning. It was a beautiful day, just like made for a little picnic, and they enjoyed a midday meal there before continuing the way.

Sai had heard some rumors of bandits on the roads, but then again, such stories always circulated in the capital, and at least the first day passed uneventfully, with them meeting only other travelers on the way. It was a rather pleasant trip, too, and he thoroughly enjoyed his first ride in two years. They spent the night visiting a countryside villa of his father's friend. It was a little of the road, but offered them more comfortable beds than they would have otherwise had.

In the morning when Sai woke up he very soon came to the conclusion that maybe he should have gone to ride a few times before spending a whole day on horseback. Muscles aching he got up and dressed gingerly. Another day spent riding didn't feel like such a great idea at the moment, and so he was in no great hurry to leave, and they lingered at the place past midday. When the time to continue the way finally came, he watched his horse almost mournfully, but still rose to the saddle. This day there was no galloping, nor much trotting either, and they proceeded so leisurely the night had fallen before they reached an inn where they could spend the next night.

In the morning they woke up to the sound of rain.

Sai watched the rain through a window and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "This doesn't look good," he said to his men. The sky was completely gray, and the rainfall, although not very heavy, was constant, with no sign of stopping. "Let's wait for it to end," he decided. "We're not in such a great hurry." And he was anything but eager to get again on horseback.

He informed their host that they would stay until the rain would end, which the host certainly did not mind.

"So… one needs something to pass time." He fixed a hopeful look at the host. "You must surely have a go board here?" And a go board was promptly found, and soon the first game started.

...

The rain woke up Hikaru as well. In his case, it wasn't just the sound, but the water itself splashing on his face. He sat up, spluttering, and couldn't help swearing when he looked up at the dark sky. It was hard to say what time it was, but certainly the sun had not yet risen. He sat a moment in the rain, thinking. Then he ate a little, and tried to pack his things so that the food would not get wet. He thought a moment of trying to find some dry place to wait for the rain to end, but then again, he was already wet. So he set on the road again. It was still quite dark, but at least he saw enough to see the road, and there was no point to be sitting in the rain.

It turned out to be quite a miserable day. The rain did not end; on the contrary at times it grew heavier, so that he could barely see ahead anymore. He tried to find a place to keep shelter from it, but the trees were of no help, and there was nothing else in sight, not even one simple hut or a hole in the rocks. So he trudged on, hoping he was still on the right way – though it should have been simple enough; there was only one road, and it followed the Yodo River. Getting lost certainly would have been hard, for even with the rain he could at times see the river close by.

He stopped to eat, and found out the rice was getting moist despite of his efforts. He ate some and tried to pack the rest even better. At least he didn't have to worry about water. Once, as he walked on, he thought he saw something ahead, a light in the rain, and felt a surge of hope, but it disappeared when he stopped to look at it. Most likely just a trick of his eyes, he thought, and sneezed.

So far the journey had proceeded even better than he had dared to hope. The nights hadn't been too cold, he had slept well on the soft ground, and he seemed to have plenty of food with him to last all the way. But this day was getting just impossible. "What's up with this weather," he muttered to himself, and wiped the rain water from his eyes. "Yesterday was so beautiful… Isn't this enough already?" he yelled at the sky, and got no reply but more water.

Finally he gave up. He thought about cutting down some branches and making a cover of them, but it turned out too hard barehanded. He should have brought a knife. Why didn't he bring a knife? He could have easily gotten one from the carpenter. In the end he crouched down underneath a big tree after having spread his blanket on the branches. It didn't help much, and certainly was not waterproof, but it was better than nothing. Somehow he managed to fall asleep there, exhausted by the long walk and cold rain, too tired to even eat anything.

When he woke up, he realized to his joy that it wasn't raining. A moment passed just appreciating that fact. He got up a little shakily, thought about eating something but realized to his wonder that he wasn't hungry. So he took his sack and started walking on. He had not walked far when he realized he had forgotten the blanket on the branches, but still it felt like too much trouble to go back and get it, so he just went on. He was feeling oddly lightheaded, and when the road made a turn and he saw small buildings ahead, he couldn't help laughing out aloud. It just figured there'd be a house nearby. He walked on, by the house, down a hill, and suddenly his knees gave up underneath him.

...

The next day dawned, not as bright as the day when they had started the journey, but still much better than the previous day. Sai watched approvingly the sky where the gray clouds were dispersing. They started the preparations for continuing their way early on, to make up for time they had lost because of the rain. Mounting his horse he grimaced a little – the one day break had been useful, but even now the saddle didn't feel like the most comfortable seat in the world. But he was the one who had decided to ride to Kawachi, he reminded himself, so he'd better not complain about it.

They had not traveled far from the inn when the foremost rider came to an abrupt stop. It took Sai a moment to understand why he had stopped, but then he too saw a crumpled figure lying on the road.

He was about to spur his horse on to see what was wrong, but his companions stopped him.

"It could be a trick," one man said, eyeing the forest by the roadside. "The bandits could be waiting among the trees, and once we have dismounted and our attention is on the bait, they'll jump on us."

Sai's eyes widened for a moment. "No," he said then. "This near to the inn? We are close enough to call for help. Besides, there is something familiar…" His eyes grew wide again. "Hikaru!" he yelled, jumped off his horse, and rushed to the boy. "What the… what are you doing here?"

The boy looked at him blearily, and it seemed to take him a moment to recognize him. "Oh, Sai, great…" he muttered. "Sorry, just took a lil' nap… are we in Kaw _a_ ~ _choo_ ," he sneezed, and sniffled his nose, "…already?"

"No." Sai looked down at him as if not quite wanting to believe what he saw. Then he touched the boy's forehead. "You've got a fever," he said. "Don't tell me you were out in that awful rain? _Idiot_."

"No, am not… I jus…" He sneezed again. "Coming to Kawachi. With you," he mumbled.

"No, you're not. You're going back home. I need to…" Sai turned to look at the men accompanying him, wondering how to best send the boy back, but Hikaru grasped his clothes with feverous vigor.

"No! I'm not going back! I'm not!" There were huge tear drops forming in his eyes as he attempted to weakly shake Sai. "Don't send me back! Don't!"

"Hikaru! You can't just…"

"I'm coming to Kawachi with you! You can't force me to go back! I can do what I want to, and I'm coming there!"

Sai gave him a resigned look. He glanced at his men. "We're anyway closer to Kawachi than the capital. Let's take him there for now. Go ask if they have some kind of a cart at the inn that we could borrow."

.

When Hikaru woke up next time, he was pleasantly surprised at how warm and comfortable he was. He opened his eyes slowly, and enjoyed the feeling. It took him a long while to realize that there was something off in the ceiling he was staring at. He wasn't at home, that much was sure. But he didn't quite remember ceiling like that elsewhere either. It reminded him of the time he had fallen asleep at Sai's place and woken up without realizing where he was, but this was different from that, too. The wood seemed darker.

Sai's place. Sai. Kawachi. He bolted up, remembering, and then fell back down, holding his head. The sudden movement had made the world turn black in his eyes.

He had left after Sai to Kawachi. What happened? It rained a lot, and he had a feeling he had met Sai on the road. He also thought he remembered something of a troll with a yellow hat, but after considering a moment he concluded it had to be a dream. What about Sai, then? Had he been a dream too?

He had barely finished that thought when the subject of his ponderings appeared by his bedside, kneeling down to touch his forehead.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked, confused, and Sai shook his head with a smile.

"No. We are at my father's mansion at the capital of Kawachi. We came here the day before yesterday."

"Really? I don't remember that at all…"

"You have been pretty much out of it. But now your fever seems to have come down."

"Fever?" Hikaru touched his own forehead in confusion. "Oh. I got sick? Must be all that damn rain…"

"Probably." Sai shook his head. "What am I to do with you? What kind of a senseless endeavor is this, leaving to travel on your own?"

"It's not senseless, it's… dedicated?" Hikaru looked at him hopefully. "I don't want to go back there…"

Sai was shaking his head. "We'll talk about that later. You should still get some more rest. I'll send you some food, if you feel like you can keep it down? Good." He sighed. "It has been a bit of a pain to explain you to my father. You'd better behave when you meet him – whether or not you can stay here will, in the end, depend on him."

"Ye… yeah." Somehow, Hikaru hadn't even thought of the fact that Sai's father would also be there. Of course it was quite obvious, after all he was the one Sai had come to meet, but somehow he had never become a real person in Hikaru's mind. Sai left, the food he had promised arrived, but suddenly Hikaru found himself almost too nervous to eat.

.

Having left the boy's room, Sai walked through the building to his father's rooms. "He's awake," he declared as he entered. "Eating something now."

A lone man was sitting by a desk that was covered with bunches of papers. He held one document in his hand and was reading it closely.

"Good." He did not raise his eyes from the paper, a tiny frown on his face. "It will be interesting to meet him."

A small smile tugged Sai's lips. "I am quite certain of that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started last week posting a new fic, Hikaru and the Troll. You remember how Hikaru's "grandpa", i.e. the old merchant died early in this story. I got totally stuck after that – Hikaru was just sitting on the roadside, moping, and nothing happened.
> 
> So, then a troll walked into the story. _That_ certainly got Hikaru on the move again. (And saved my wordcount for nano for that day.) Of course, I had to cut that part out, but I couldn't resist continuing it later, and now I decided to start posting it. Akira, who sadly has no room in this story, has a big role there. And Sai too, though quite different from what he is here. ^^ The first chapter's up, story id 714036.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Hikaru spent most of the day drifting in and out of sleep. When he woke up in the evening, he realized he had an urging need to find a toilet, and so he stumbled up. He felt a little disoriented, but as he again touched his forehead and found it cool, at least to his hand, he figured it was probably because of sleeping too much, and not so much of a sickness. A servant guided him to a toilet, and, after ascertaining he didn't need any help went to inform Sai that the boy was up. Once Hikaru returned to his bed he found Sai waiting there.

"It is almost time for the evening meal," Sai said. "Do you think you're strong enough to join us?"

Hikaru hesitated. He was a little dizzy, and not really that hungry, but… "I guess," he said and swallowed. "If it's okay." No point to put this off.

Sai had some new clothes brought for him – a servant's clothes, but of finer quality than what Hikaru had ever worn. Then he led the nervous boy to the dining room.

Sai's father was already there, waiting for them. Hikaru had been trying to imagine what the man would look like (an older version of Sai? Did he too have long hair?), but the truth wasn't anywhere close to his imagination. The boy stopped, uncertain, wondering if he should kneel or not. He had already decided not to – Sai never cared about such things, after all – but this man was so different from his son that it was hard to believe them related. He wasn't stocky, but robustly build, especially compared to Sai's slender frame, his face was harder, impassive, and the eyes had a piercing look that Sai's held only during a game. His hair, gathered up in the usual way, was graying, and there was something stony in his very being.

Hikaru licked his lips and hovered there, at verge of kneeling down, but still not knowing whether he should or not. Completely oblivious to his discomfort Sai bowed his head to his father.

"This is Hikaru," he said with a wave of his hand. "Hikaru, this is my father, the governor of Kawachi, Fujiwara no Kouyou."

The man said nothing, just nodded his head slightly, fixing his eyes at the boy. Hikaru was quiet as well. He had been thinking of different things to say when he would meet Sai's father, but somehow now he didn't get anything out, and in the end he just bowed, though very deep. He and Sai settled down as well behind their own little dining tables, and the meal started.

It was a very quiet meal. Sai was the one most often to say something, chatting about this and that, seemingly random things, or at least Hikaru couldn't quite follow the course of his thoughts. Sai didn't seem to be bothered at all by the silence, and Hikaru figured that most likely it was a normal way for them to spend their meals.

He watched Sai carefully as he ate, copying his movements. He did his best to eat slowly and carefully, not wanting to spill anything. The meal in itself was quite good, though not very different by its ingredients from what he was used to: rice (polished rice, though, which he had had first time at Sai's place, and the point of which he still didn't quite understand), some grilled fish, and a soup of smashed vegetables. There was a metal spoon for the soup, something he had not seen before. He licked his fingers clean as he watched how Sai ate his soup, half drinking, half eating it with the spoon, and then realized he hadn't seen either Sai or his father lick their fingers. He tried to eat even more cleanly from then on, though didn't quite succeed.

It was a rather trying meal, and he gave a little sigh of relief when it was over. But then Sai's father finally turned to him.

"So," he said in a low, rumbling voice. "Explain to me why you are here, boy."

"I…" Hikaru took a deep breath, fidgeting a little where he sat, and froze then, telling himself to calm down. "I want to work for Sai…sama." Honorifics, he kicked himself mentally. Don't forget the damn honorifics. "And I want to learn more go."

"And what of your parents?"

He couldn't read the man's face at all. He glanced at Sai, who gave him a small encouraging nod. "Well, they… I told them I'm leaving here…" Which wasn't quite true, of course, but at least Akari most likely had told them by now. "They, um, I guess they don't quite like it, but… but… I'm fourteen already!" He fixed a desperate gaze at the man. He couldn't just return home! How Akari would laugh at him, and he didn't even want to think what his father would say. "I'm of age, and I…I can do what I want to!"

"No matter how old a man is, he should still respect his parents' wishes," the man rumbled, and Hikaru flinched.

"Well, yes, but… they just don't want me to be working for Sai cause they think he's weird, and I'm sure _you_ know that's not really true, or maybe it is, but not in a bad way, you know…" His voice trailed off, and he wondered what on earth he was in fact saying.

Fujiwara no Kouyou glanced at his son. "One can but wonder what you have been up to, if even the commoners find you weird," he stated a little dryly, and Sai sighed.

"It's not me, it's them," he muttered his old defense. "But… I think you should play a game with him before you decide anything, father."

"Hmm." The man turned to look at Hikaru again, a thoughtful look on his face, and nodded then. "Fine. Let us play, boy."

The boy gave a great start. "N…now? I… I mean, I…"

"You do look a little pale, Hikaru." Sai leaned forward, watching him worriedly. "Maybe you should rest until tomorrow before the game." He glanced at his father. "He _has_ been sick," he pointed out.

The man nodded. "Fine. We shall play tomorrow, if you feel better then."

He rose and went his way, and the boy was left staring after him in shock. Then he turned his stunned gaze to Sai. "Play with _him_?"

"Of course!" Sai exclaimed, and only then seemed to realize the boy's horror. "Come now, Hikaru, he's just my father, not some monster from the tales! It will be great, you'll see."

Hikaru wasn't quite convinced. He returned to his bed, surprisingly tired given how much he had slept lately. Even so he lay there long awake, staring at the ceiling. At some point he drifted to sleep, and after a restless night full of strange games played against even stranger goblin-like opponents he woke up into a bright day.

He scrambled up, and immediately there was a servant by his side offering light breakfast and a bowl with water to wash his face; they must have been keeping an eye on him. He ate just some fruits, after which the servant led him to Sai. He was relieved to see that his teacher was alone, sitting in a room with a view to the garden, a book in his lap.

"Morning, Hikaru," Sai greeted him cheerfully. "Or maybe I should say good day, at this time. Did you sleep well?"

Hikaru muttered something unclear in response. He glanced around. "Is your father here?"

"No, he's out on his rounds, but he should be returning soon, though."

Hikaru sighed inwardly. He had hoped the man would be away whole day. "What about others, then?" He came suddenly to think he didn't really know anything about Sai's family. "Your mother? Do you have siblings?"

Sai shook his head. "My mother is dead," he said softly. "And she was my father's only wife, and I their only child."

"Oh." Hikaru sat down as well. Sai's sad smile made him uncomfortable, and he wanted to change the subject. "What are you reading?" he asked, looking at the book on Sai's lap.

"The book of the later Han Dynasty. It is quite interesting, really. Would you like to hear…"

"Nah, don't bother," Hikaru cut him off. "I'll probably just fall asleep again."

Sai pursed his lips and gave him a thoughtful and a little reproving look. "Hikaru, I have been thinking," he declared. "If you are so determined to 'work for me', _I_ certainly have nothing against it. But I'm not going to have you only as a simple servant who'll run errands and help fix garden bridges. No, I'll get you a proper place in my household so that no one is going to have a reason to laugh when they hear I'm teaching you go. And _this_ means," he raised a finger, demanding silence from the boy who was about to say something, "that you will have to learn also other things than go. Now, my father's library has many basic volumes of…"

"You know, I can't read," Hikaru put in, his excitement dampened.

Sai paused and blinked at him. "Well. Then we know where to start," he said then. "And another thing… your appearance. Come here, Hikaru."

A suspicious look on his face the boy went to him and knelt down on the floor next to him. Sai produced a piece of string from somewhere and proceeded to tie Hikaru's hair in his neck. "You need to learn how to do a topknot," he said. "And I'll give you a hat, maybe a nae-eboshi for now. You're too old to be running around bareheaded, anyway."

Hikaru sighed. "I'd like to see _you_ making a topknot of your hair," he muttered.

"Hush now." Sai sat back and watched his handiwork approvingly. "I wonder if father has any…"

Right then they heard steps and, turning to look, saw Fujiwara no Kouyou coming.

"If I have any what?" he asked, entering the room.

"Any materials that would help me teaching Hikaru to read," Sai answered.

His father turned to look at Hikaru, and though his face was as expressionless as ever, the boy got a feeling he hadn't yet made any big impression.

"So, you are not only teaching him go anymore," the man said, still watching Hikaru. "I think it is time for me to play that game with this protégée of yours."

"Absolutely!" Sai looked happily at Hikaru. "You look much better today," he remarked. "Just do your best and don't worry about it!"

"That's a bit much to ask," Hikaru muttered, but the other two were already leaving the room and didn't listen to him. So he too scrambled up and shuffled after them.

Sitting down by a go board had never felt quite as terrifying. He had been nervous before his first game with the old merchant, and before the game with Sai when they had met, but that had been different – in truth he had been more excited than afraid. Now… maybe the difference was that this time he knew his skill, and he knew _Sai's_ skill, and from everything Sai had told him he had concluded that his father was even better.

He looked hesitantly up at the stone-faced man on the other side of the go board and dropped then his gaze down to its lines.

"Let us play, then," the man said. "Let us see how good you are…"

Hikaru glanced at him, swallowed, and raised the cover of his stone bowl. It dropped from his fingers and hit the floor with a clank that sounded much too loud in his ears, and blushing he grasped it quickly and placed it properly next to the bowl. Neither Sai nor his father said anything, but the former shot a look at the latter, genuinely wishing he'd at least _try_ to be a little less intimidating. Not that Sai found him so frightening, but he could understand how his father would look like to a boy like Hikaru.

The game started, and he was happy to see Hikaru's anxiety didn't have a big effect on his play. The boy started solidly enough, perhaps a little timidly, but at least he did not make any big mistakes. Certainly his reading of the game wasn't yet deep enough to see all that was happening on the board – Sai spotted the trap his father was building right on, and almost squirmed on his place when Hikaru went on playing, obviously oblivious to it.

Hikaru maybe didn't see the trap from right on, but he knew enough of the game to be certain that there was one, he could almost feel it closing around him, and not being able to see it made his spine tickle. He went on playing carefully, attempting to solidify his defense instead of attacking, but he knew that wouldn't be enough.

Sai's father snapped one more stone to the board, and once again Hikaru found himself – not thinking about his own next move, but caught up wondering about his opponent's style, the way he captured the stone between his fingers, raised it into the air, and brought it – _snap!_ – down to the board. It had taken him a while to learn how to hold the stones properly, and even so he hadn't really paid that much attention to how he placed them on the board, although he had always thought Sai had a nice style of play. But where Sai's moves were graceful, this man's were about strength, and every _snap!_ made Hikaru give a little inward start.

He tried to force himself to concentrate on the game. He picked up yet another stone, but instead of playing it on the board he placed his hands on his lap and thought. There were dozens of different ways the game could proceed from there, and he attempted to figure out them all. Most likely many of those ways led to his destruction, but there had to be something he could do to avoid it – or if not avoid, at least put it off. But first he had to figure out what was going on.

This man was Sai's father, and as such, Sai's teacher. They had to have at least some common characteristics in their play. And he knew Sai's play, Sai's strength very well – at times he had grown almost sick of having to witness it game after game. If this was Sai he was playing against, what would _he_ be up to? He thought back to all the games they had played, tried to remember all the traps he'd fallen into and all the ones he had barely avoided, every lesson he had ever had, and now, looking at the formation of the stones on the board, there was something familiar about it, something that made him wonder if he wasn't concentrating on a completely wrong part of the board.

He let his gaze sweep across the board, and his eyes stopped on a seemingly harmless group of three white stones standing alone in a corner. But if the other white stones were to connect with those… He placed a black stone down, his opponent played his move, trying to get around it, but with his next move he separated that little group from the others.

Sai gave an audible sigh of relief, and couldn't hide his smile as the game went on. Hikaru would still lose, clearly so, but at least he would not be completely crushed. The game lasted a long while, with Hikaru pausing to think his moves for longer than he ever had when he had played with Sai. Finally the game came to its end.

Hikaru watched the board, feeling sweat tickle on his brows. He felt quite drained; he had never before used so much energy for one single game. He was a little astonished at how tired one could get, just sitting and thinking. Now he just sat there and stared at the board, mind blank. He couldn't even count with how many _moku_ he had lost.

"You have been teaching him for a year now, right?" The sudden question made him start and he looked up. His opponent was as well staring down at the board, a slight frown on his face.

"Approximately, yes," Sai answered. "He did know the basics when I started teaching him, but that's all." Did Hikaru just imagine, or did he actually sound proud?

"Either he does have real talent, or then he has an extremely good teacher," the man said thoughtfully.

Sai grinned. "I think he has both."

"Well." Finally looking up from the board the man met Hikaru's gaze, and the boy's back straightened automatically. "It is going to be interesting to see how your go will develop," he said. "You have still a long way to go, though."

"Ah… th… thanks," Hikaru managed to stammer. "I… I mean, that is… thank you."

Fujiwara no Kouyou nodded at him and looked then at his son. "Do you want to discuss the game with him? I am afraid I can't stay any longer for now."

"I'd love to!" Sai cried out. "Right Hikaru? There are so many things in this game about which I want to speak with you."

"Ye… yeah, sure." Hikaru was still feeling a little lightheaded. He did have enough composureleft to bow when his opponent got up. "Thank you very much for the game," he muttered, his head almost touching the board in front of him.

"Thank you for the game," the man said, and left.

"Hikaru!" Sai exclaimed when they were left alone, reaching out to hug the boy. "That was wonderful! Well, for the most part. You could have done better in the upper left, and at the center too, and this move," he pointed at a stone with his fan, "was enough to make me cringe, but other than that, it was great!" He squeezed the boy again, and Hikaru tried to squirm away from him.

"Take it easy there! It was just one game!"

"One beautiful game! But… now, look here…" Sai moved to sit by the board's opposite side. "This move… could you explain to me what you were thinking?"

By the time they were done discussing the game, Hikaru was beginning to wonder exactly what in it had been enough to make Sai so happy. He certainly _did_ have a long way to go…

"What did your parents say when you told them you're coming here?" Sai asked him when they were putting away the go stones.

Hikaru paused and blushed a little. "Actually, I… I didn't quite… I mean, I told Akari, and she told them. Once I'd left."

Sai as well stopped cleaning the board and gave him a long look. "I really should just send you back," he said flatly. "You left _Akari_ to tell them? So irresponsible! Surely you should at least take care of such things by yourself." He sighed. "We need to send them a message, at the very least, and tell them you arrived here safely. More or less."

"How will we do that? I mean… I know mom can read, a bit at least, she tried to teach me too, once, but…"

Sai thought a moment. "I'll send a message to Nobunori. He can arrange it." Hikaru must have looked a little skeptical, for he went on, "He will do it, I'll make sure he will. Don't worry about it. And when I go back to the capital, you will come with me and we go together to meet your parents."

"You're coming to…" Hikaru shook his head. "You're always doing these things upside down. If you're going to meet my parents, shouldn't they be coming to you?"

Sai thought a moment and shrugged then. "Well, whatever. We'll meet them, anyway. But I'll write that message right now." He took the last stones from the board, put them into the bowls, and rose. "Would you bring my writing utensils," he called to a servant. "No need for any special paper."

He wrote two messages, one for Nobunori and another for Hikaru's parents. "I'll add here that he'll send someone who can read to take the message, just in case," he said to Hikaru who was watching over his shoulder.

"Mmm." The boy wasn't so interested in how the messages would be delivered. He stared instead at the strange forms appearing on the paper, and wondered how anyone could find meaning in them. "You're going to teach _this_ to me?" he muttered aloud. "That looks hard. Much harder than go…"

"Don't be stupid, Hikaru. Any silly courtier can write, even if they have no idea how to play a descent game of go."

"If you say so…" He didn't appear to be completely convinced, but watched in silence as Sai finished the letters

The rest of the day Sai spent showing Hikaru around in the mansion; next day they started his writing lessons. It soon became evident that though Hikaru was a very dedicated student where go was concerned, the same wasn't true for other studies. And very soon the boy realized it was rather simple to distract his teacher to discuss go problems instead. It didn't take Sai long to see that things would not proceed quite as smoothly as he had imagined. Then he had a brilliant idea: he started using go books as the learning material. It helped, at least for a while. If nothing else, Hikaru learned very quickly how to read game records. The downside was that after that it was hard to get him to read anything else.

Sai had his own studies, too, and as he would not spend a single day without playing at least one game with his father and some with Hikaru, he didn't have that much time left to dedicate for an uneager student. As days went by Hikaru's studies were left in the background. Sai thought about it sometimes, feeling vaguely guilty, but then he decided that for one thing, _Hikaru_ was the one losing if he didn't want to learn, and also, there was no hurry – some day when he would have more time, they would try again. For now, he decided to stop worrying about it, and just concentrate on his own studies.

Hikaru did not complain about this decision. While Sai studied, or was out with his father on some official business, he spent his time going through the game records or trying to solve life and death problems presented in the books. Sai had praised his father's library, and Hikaru had to admit that at least where go was concerned it was impressive. There were times when he did think that learning to read might really be quite useful, as then he would be able to read also other parts of the books than just the records and the problems, but as long as he wasn't about to run out of those, it was just a passing thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… yes. In this story, Touya Meijin is Sai's father. As it is, there's this PS Hikaru no go game that takes place in the Heian age and in which he's Sai's father, so… it's almost canon, right? Right? xD
> 
> And… I must have been a bit tired when I originally wrote this chapter. Rereading it now, I came across this: "For now, he decided to stop worrying about it, and just concentrate on go. I mean on his own studies. But most likely he mainly did concentrate on go, now that I came to think of it. …am I breaking the fourth wall here or what?"
> 
> I was tempted to leave it like that, but edited it in the end. (And then there was that little tongue twister "obviously oblivious" which I also considered changing, but it amused me and I left it as it is.)
> 
> A little bit of trivia: chopsticks existed in the Heian age, but they were mainly used just in banquets. Otherwise people of all classes ate with hands.


	13. Chapter 13

So the spring passed, and finally, once the summer was coming, Sai started preparing to return shortly to the capital. He informed Hikaru that the boy would be coming with him, and though Hikaru was anything but eager to meet his parents, he didn't fancy spending a couple of weeks at Kawachi alone with Sai's father, so he followed Sai without demur. He had not seen Fujiwara no Kouyou that much during his stay in Kawachi, and spoken with him even less, and the man did still frighten him a bit.

The closer they got to the capital, the more nervous he grew, though, almost regretting that he had agreed to return. They arrived there quite late, and Hikaru was happy to spend the night at Sai's mansion, though Sai asked him if he wanted to go home right away. Next day, early in the morning before Sai would leave for his lectures in the university and before Hikaru's father would leave fishing, they headed together to his home.

Hikaru was still objecting to it – in addition to what was appropriate, he also thought that it would be much easier to face his father at Sai's mansion than at his own home ground. Sai seemed to figure out he had some other reasons behind his reluctance, for he simply remarked "I never knew _you_ were so keen on what's appropriate and what not," and promptly headed to Hikaru's home without listening to the boy's excuses.

At least they rode there in a palanquin – it wasn't the kind of neighborhood where Hikaru would have been comfortable walking around with someone like Sai. As they walked into the yard, he saw his mother there, heading to the well with a bucket. When she noticed the newcomers, the bucket fell from her hands and she rushed to her son.

"Hikaru!" she exclaimed, and seemed to be about to hug him, but seeing Sai behind his back stopped, hesitating. "Hikaru," she said again. "I…" She glanced over her shoulder at the house and seeing all was still quiet the returned her gaze back to her son. "I wasn't sure if you'd come back. Masao said you surely wouldn't – and that he didn't care. Or so he claimed… But I thought that maybe, maybe you still would…"

She glanced again at the house, and now a man had stepped out of it and stood there watching them.

"We came here to discuss your son's future with you and your husband, ma'am," Sai said. "Can we come in?"

Mitsuko looked at him with a start, nodded then quickly. "Of course. Of course, let's go…" As they walked to the house, Hikaru noted the way her fingers kept on fiddling with her clothes, a sure sign she as well was nervous.

His father shot him a dark look as they entered the house. His gaze lingered also on Sai, but that look was more difficult to define. They settled down, Sai first, Hikaru waiting for his parents to sit, as he had a feeling there was no reason to annoy them more.

Once they were all sitting, Sai bowed his head a little. "I am quite sorry about the concern this affair must have caused you," he said. "If I had known he would do something like this… I certainly would have dealt with everything quite differently, but as it is, it was quite a surprise for me when we found him on the road to Kawachi. Hikaru has expressed…" he glanced at the boy, "a very strong wish to start working for me again, and as for my part, I would be happy to offer him a place in my household."

"I don't know why you need our approval," Hikaru's father said after a long silence. "Certainly if you want him, you can just take him – what does our opinion matter here?"

"You are his parents," Sai said with a small frown. "I would not wish him to be completely alienated from you, just because of me. But on the other hand _I_ do not wish to be completely alienated from him just because of you, either. So I am hoping we can reach some kind of a common understanding."

"I…" Hikaru's mother said tentatively. "I never really thought Hikaru was so serious about this," she went on when the others looked at her. "I still don't quite understand why – though of course, getting into the household of one of your honored family certainly would be a grand thing for him. I… am just worried…" She left the sentence hanging unfinished, glancing at her husband for support, but he said nothing. Sai looked at her inquisitively, and as she looked down, embarrassed, he smiled.

"I think I've heard it from Hikaru. You think I'm too strange, and maybe as such, too… undependable? _I_ certainly know I don't fit well into the life here in the capital – apart from the life by the go boards, that is. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be a good master for Hikaru."

"Go…" Hikaru's father said with a frown, that single word catching his attention. "Why do I have a feeling there has for long been something going on about go…"

Sai looked at Hikaru who kept on staring the floor; the boy had yet to say anything. He turned back to the boy's parents. "Hikaru has a definite gift for the game," he said. "I have been teaching him – and I know you don't approve of games, but you are quite mistaken in your contempt of go. It is much more than just a leisurely way to spend time. Do you not know the birth of this game? It was created by a wise sage to train an unruly youth, a son of an emperor, and ever since it has been held to be the deepest, the most complicated game there is, one fit to develop the greatest minds. Why would you deny your son such a game?"

His little speech didn't quite have the hoped for effect, but he certainly got the attention of Hikaru's parents. They stared at him, glanced then at each other, then at their son, and turned then back to him again.

"As I said," Masao said a little gruffly, "we are in no position to oppose you. And if Hikaru wants to go with you, let him. But if he leaves his home, he leaves his home, and if things do go wrong, there is no coming back."

Sai sighed. "Stubbornness is not just the privilege of the aristocracy," he muttered to himself. "Well. If that is how you want it…" He glanced at the boy. "Hikaru? What do you want to do?"

"You know what I want to do," the boy said, still not looking at him. "I knew things would go like this, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Fine." Sai sighed again, shook his head sadly. "We will go then. But you can rest assured, I will take good care of your son. If you wish to reach him, for the next two weeks we will be staying at my mansion in the fifth street, after that you can contact my cousin's household – he did deliver you my message, did he not? Good. Hikaru, let's go."

Hikaru nodded and got up, followed him to the door. There he turned yet back to look at his mother who had followed them. He gave her a little wry smile. "Don't worry, mom, I'll be fine," he said and left.

Outside the two walked to the palanquin in silence. Sai climbed in, but Hikaru stopped. "I wonder if Akari's home," he said. "I'll go to see. I'll return later, okay?"

Sai nodded, and his palanquin took off. Hikaru watched after him a moment. First he considered going yet back to talk more with his parents, but in the end couldn't see of what use that would be. So he left, but instead of Akari's home, he headed to the abandoned house where they kept their go board.

It was still there, in the same corner where they had used to play. He knelt down by it and saw that it was not dusty. He wondered if Akari was playing alone, or if she had introduced the game to some of her friends. In a way, he wished she had not, for this was _their_ place, but on the other hand there was something sad about thinking her playing just against herself. He took one stone in his hand. He had almost forgotten how rough they were, so unlike those black and white shining stones he and Sai used, made of slate and seashell.

He sat a long while by the go board, watching it in deep contemplation, and returned then to Sai's mansion without meeting anybody.

...

Sai couldn't help feeling quite disappointed at how things had proceeded with Hikaru's parents. He tried to put it out of his mind though, for he had plenty of other business to take care of now that he was in the capital again.

He met Nobunori, and his cousin greeted him in as carefree manner as ever, as if they had never had any disagreements. He didn't even jest about Hikaru, which Sai found quite surprising.

"It's good to see you again," Nobunori said happily, coming to a surprise visit one evening. "These couple of months have been nearly boring when I haven't had to worry about your carryings-on. Not to mention how great it is to get to play some real games once again."

"Did you come to play, then?" Sai asked, a little confused. Overall, Nobunori had never visited him often, it was usually the other way round.

"Oh, I was just passing by, and remembered you're in town again, so I figured I might drop by. But certainly, we might play a game."

Sitting down by the go board Sai gave him a searching look. "How… have things been here in the capital?" he asked.

Nobunori cocked his head to the side, and laid down to first stone. "The same, the same. Lately people have been busy bringing their daughters into the emperor's attention. But we feel two consorts are quite enough for a boy of six years…"

Sai made a quiet, amused sound, thinking about the strong-willed little princess. "Oh, I bet they are. Silly people."

"You know, your friend, Sugawara no Akitada certainly wouldn't mind if a daughter or granddaughter of his would become the crown prince's wife," Nobunori noted, his attention seemingly in the game. "Ever since someone slipped to him who was going to be the crown prince, he'd been scheming for his girls…"

Sai gave him a look. "Oh? Well, I guess it's natural for parents to want their children do well in life…"

"Mmm. It's not a completely wild dream for him, really – after all, his father's cousin was emperor Uda's imperial consort. But ever since _her_ father, Michizane, was driven from the court, it became quite unlikely for one of his family to rise so high. It's only his go that has taken _him_ so far… our emperor truly is grand; he doesn't see just the status of your family but your true skill, and rewards it."

Sai had stopped paying attention to the game, something that happened quite seldom, and sat there staring intently at his cousin. "Is there some reason you're telling me all this?"

"Oh, I just thought it would be good for you to catch on with what's happening. After all, he might try to use you to advance his dreams…"

Sai snorted. "And how would he do that?"

"Who knows? I've told you, he's a sly one, and he must certainly wish to give the Sugawara family a new place in the sun. He hasn't been doing badly, so far. It's your move, by the way."

Sai glanced at the board and made his move. "And would that be so awful, then? Why couldn't he…"

"It is a good thing my uncle took Sugawara no Michizane down when he did. We do not need another family at the court with such great influence."

"Your uncle didn't live to an old age," Sai pointed out softly. "Don't you think it could be a sign from the heavens that he was in the wrong?"

It was Nobunori's turn to snort. "There have been rumors, of course there have been, and who knows if they aren't started by this Sugawara friend of yours. People say it can't have been a coincidence that Michizane's main adversary died so suddenly, and what with the emperor's crown prince and the crown prince's son dying, too… You know this is why they actually posthumously pardoned Michizane a few years ago, to appease his spirit." He shook his head. "People are superstitious fools."

"But still…" Sai tried yet, and Nobunori gave a sigh.

"Sometimes it feels to me you just don't hear what I'm trying to tell you," he muttered. "I merely wanted to remind you that this man is our family's rival, and you should remember it. _He_ certainly does."

"If you say so. It's _your_ move now."

Tired of the discussion, Sai turned his attention back to the board. Nobunori let the subject drop as well, but did not fall silent.

"The Iris Festival is next week, you know," he said in a conversational tone. "It's hard to believe how fast time flies. I remember how much you were fretting when we took you to the palace without a warning last year – it really feels like yesterday! – so this time you'll get your warning in advance: you're invited to join us."

"What? I… do you mean for the ceremony? I was thinking of going to follow the archery contest and the races…"

"Of course! It is an elemental part of the day, is it not? But first there are the ceremonies at the palace."

"Yes…" To be exact, Sai had been thinking to go to watch the race at Fujinomori Shrine together with Hikaru, but that plan was now thwarted. "I'm not sure… to be honest, I don't quite understand why you want me there. Can I even attend the ceremony, I am not a court noble…"

Nobunori waved his excuses away. "Mere formalities. Trust me, you'll enjoy it." And so it was decided.

.

Hikaru was disappointed when he told him the news. "It sucks," he stated frankly. "Do you really have to spend the whole day with those… those… people? Well, I guess I'll go on my own, then…"

"Don't you have any friends you could join?"

Hikaru passed his hand through his hair thoughtfully, and Sai wondered, once again, how hard it could be to make the boy believe he had to keep his hair tied up. Then again, he was probably at fault for giving Hikaru such a bad example where hair was concerned, but still, this was about making Hikaru look respectable, not him.

"I don't know, they're probably all with their families. But don't worry, I'm fine." The boy flashed him a quick smile. "You just try to have fun with _those people_ too, if you can."

…

Once the day for the Iris Festival arrived, Sai had come to think of it in new light. He wasn't planning to "have fun" – he was all set to put the day into good use. He didn't know the exact details of how the event would proceed, but he was sure he would get a chance to speak with important people there. He had come to realize something since the previous year. If he wanted to get anything done, he needed two things: status and connections. And the latter would come first.

What he had not taken into account was that Nobunori kept a close eye on him the whole day. Not that it would have been any great inconvenience, for he had not planned to say or do anything that his cousin would have disapproved. The real problem was that Nobunori didn't seem to find it necessary for them to speak with pretty much anyone – they just stayed in the background following the happenings quietly.

Sai bit back a sigh and tried to at least enjoy the day. The Iris Festival had always been a favorite of his. There were irises everywhere; roofs were covered with them, they were hanging from the eaves, commoners had them on their waist, and in the court there wasn't a single courtier who wouldn't have been adorned with iris ornaments on their heads. Sai too had irises in his hair – he would have hardly been able to enter the palace without them. He liked the flower, its shape and its color, and the way it repelled negative spirits which were at their most active on this day, the fifth of the fifth month, attempting to spread disease.

At court, his majesty was offering his high officials wine in which iris leaves had been steeped, a garland of irises around his neck, and the officials of the Bureau of Medicine were distributing different medical herbs to people. Hovering next to his cousin, Sai couldn't help feeling a little out of place. Once the ceremonies were over, he thought they would go right away to follow the contests, but instead Nobunori led him to where the Minister of the Left was standing by the emperor's dais, and he was reintroduced to the emperor.

"I have been hearing much about you," the emperor said, and Sai could but bow his head, astonished at the turn of the events. "Even my go teacher agrees that your skill is great. Come here once all the official program is over. I wish to see this skill with my own eyes."

Sai bowed again, unable to say anything. As he and Nobunori headed out to follow the archery contest, he was still too stunned to speak. A chance to speak with important people? This went beyond his wildest dreams. He was quite out of it for a long while, barely noticing what was happening in the contest.

("What do you mean you don't remember the black horse's rider!?" Nobunori exclaimed, when Sai admitted he didn't quite know what his cousin was talking about as he admired one competitor. "Didn't you see how he hit the target in full gallop? Try to compose yourself or you'll miss all the fun!")

Composing himself took a long while, but once the archery contest was over and the races were about to begin, he finally began to calm down. He couldn't quite believe that Nobunori – or rather, Nobunori's father, for the minister definitely had to be the one behind this – were doing this just for him. Still, he was sure they were the ones behind it; certainly the emperor had decided to honor him so just on a whim. Perhaps Akitada too had really spoken for him…? The emperor had mentioned the man, after all. He wondered about that, for Nobunori's constant warnings had planted a seed of doubt in his mind, as strongly as he wished to ignore them.

But whether he believed those warnings or not, the most likely candidates behind his sudden imperial favor were his family. They must be planning to use him somehow, he could understand that much. Well, let them – he would use them too. He was going to meet the emperor – this was the kind of chance that he would not get often. Taking a deep breath he turned to follow the preparations of the next event.

Members of the imperial guard were divided into two sides, left and right, and they competed in a series of races. The word for iris, _shoubu_ , written with different kanji referred to the military arts, and as the day's main purpose was to promote good health, such displays of military vigor had become a natural part of the proceedings. And this year one could safely say that at least Sai was full of positive energy as he watched the contests, cheering for his favorites.

The day passed surprisingly fast. In the evening there was a banquet at the palace – a rather small one, but pleasant, with beautiful music and good drinks, and poetry, of course. Sai waited eagerly for the moment to arrive, and now his excitement was again turning into nervousness. The banquet went on late into the night, and he was already beginning to doubt whether he in fact would have a chance to meet the emperor, when Nobunori finally led him to the inner chambers.

To his surprise the first person he saw was Sugawara no Akitada. He almost greeted the man happily, but something in his pose warned him, and suddenly he noticed a transparent screen and realized Nobunori was bowing toward it. He bowed hastily as well, kneeling on the floor next to his cousin.

"Well then, there he is," came the emperor's voice from behind the screen. "Why don't you get started."

Sai looked up, confused. Akitada smiled at him, perhaps a little thinly.

"His majesty wishes us to play a game," he said, and Sai's face brightened. He smiled back at the older man.

"It is always a pleasure to play with you, Akitada-sama," he said.

They started the game in silence. Sai felt a surge of excitement as the first stones snapped against the board – this was, without doubt, the most important game of his life. He had to impress the emperor. Never before had he thought of go as a way advance himself in the world, and though he wasn't quite sure what he thought about the idea, he didn't stop to ponder on it too closely right at the moment. This kind of a chance he would not get again.

The excitement grew in him, but it was good kind of excitement, such that made him eager for a battle. He couldn't help noticing, though, how guarded and unreadable Akitada's expression was, and so carefully forced his own face to be as blank as he could. Underneath that cool surface he was bubbling, though, and he was sure that Akitada too had to be just as… well, maybe not just as excited as he was, for playing in front of the emperor was certainly nothing new to him, but surely he couldn't face this game as any other he had played.

 _I'll play my best,_ Sai promised him voicelessly as he watched his opponent. _My very best, so I hope you too will do that._ He placed a stone on the board, starting his first attack, and soon he was so completely swept away by the game that he didn't even remember that there was anything out of ordinary with the audience they had.

True to his word, he played a game he later thought to be one of his best – if not the best. And so did Akitada, fulfilling the wish he hadn't spoken aloud. He knew they reached a new level with that game, one he had only glanced at before, and the words _divine move_ flashed shortly somewhere in the back of his mind. Perhaps, some day, they would play a game where they would reach it…

It wasn't this game yet, though. It came to an end so stealthily he barely noticed it. He placed his last stone on the board and realized that it was over. Watching the finished game Sai realized that in the end he had lost by three _moku_ – but having been able to play such a game, he couldn't feel disappointed. He looked up at Akitada and bowed deep. "Thank you for the game."

"Thank you for the game," the man replied. His eyes were still on the board. Then he turned on the floor and bowed toward the curtain separating them from the emperor. Sai mimicked him.

"An outstanding game," the emperor said. "I see the rumors have not been exaggerated. It seemed to Sai that he glanced toward Nobunori when he said that, but he couldn't be sure. "And you even managed to spark interest in my son," he added in an amused tone. "The color go he is playing has become rather popular among the ladies-in-waiting."

Sai felt himself blush a little. "I never imagined it would be something he would continue, your majesty," he said. "Just a… silly idea that at the time felt…"

"Oh, as I said, it sparked his interest in the game, and so one can't find fault in it. In the end, he _is_ just a child. But now…" He rose, and all the three in the room bowed down. "This was a long game; one wonders if the sun won't be rising soon. We will retire for tonight. But certainly there will come another time when we can enjoy a spectacular game like this."

The emperor left, and they stayed bowing until his footsteps couldn't anymore be heard. When Sai straightened his back, he turned again to Akitada.

"I am very happy I could play this game with you," he said. "I honestly think it might be the best game I have ever played."

Akitada looked like he was about to say something, but swallowed it. He smiled thinly. "It was certainly a deep game," he said. "But his majesty is right – I think I too will be retiring to my quarters."

"Would you mind if I came to visit you tomorrow?" Sai asked. "Or the day after tomorrow, if that would be better. I would very much like to discuss this game with you."

"Hmm, the day after tomorrow, maybe. In the evening. I am sure it will be an interesting discussion."

He too left, and Sai and Nobunori were left alone.

"Satisfied?" Sai asked, turning to his cousin.

Nobunori gave him a sly smile. "Absolutely. I bet that guy has to be seething under his skin…"

"I don't understand what you could possibly mean," Sai said, getting up. "I'm sure Akitada-sama enjoyed this game too – and he did win, in the end."

"Yes… _then_ I would have been truly happy if you had managed to beat him, but maybe that was too much to ask. But he is not happy that you could play such a game against him – you two are really on a level of your own. The emperor has a great fancy to the game… he will be sure to remember you."

"And this you think would annoy Akitada-sama?" Sai shook his head. "You're beginning to sound like he was my rival or something."

"But he is. And he is beginning to realize that you are his."

Sai thought a moment. "Maybe," he said then. "But isn't that how it's supposed to be? I would be happy to have a rival like him – someone whose skill equals mine, with whom I can play the greatest games. What is wrong with this?"

Nobunori just shook his head at his words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the fifth day of the fifth month, the children's day, is quite significant in Hikaru no go fandom, here's shortly how it evolved from the Heian age iris festival: I mentioned in the story that the word "shoubu" has two meanings, "iris", and "victory or defeat; match; contest; game; bout." (I also read somewhere that it'd mean "military spirit", but the former meanings are all Jim Breen's gives to it, so I don't know about that.) Because of this word association, people started decorating paper samurai helmets with irises, hoping their sons would become great soldiers, and during the Edo period, the day was designated as the Boys' Day. Competitions among boys at this festival included mock sword fights using _shoubu_ as weapons. (The custom of flying nobori on that day (those fish-shaped wind-socks) apparently came from another festival (seventh day of the seventh month) when boys celebrated their scholarly achievements.)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Sai slept very late the next day, and once he finally managed to drag himself up, heading to the university was the last thing he would have wanted to do, but it couldn't be helped. He peeked in Hikaru's room, and seeing the boy still snoring, he went and got some old documents he was going to throw away. He dropped the pile next to the boy, who woke up with a start.

"Wha…?"

"Morning, Hikaru! I'm going to the university, and you're going to study too. You can practice calligraphy. Ayaka will bring you paper and writing utensils, so copy these while I'm gone."

"What?" Hikaru sat up and gave the documents a bleary look. "Copy…? Saiii!"

He wailed in vain, though, for Sai had already left.

When Sai came back, again quite late in the evening and very tired, he found the boy sitting by the documents, hands splattered with ink, and watching the result of his work quite miserably.

"How did it go?" he asked, and Hikaru shot him a dark look. Without saying anything he offered Sai a bunch of papers. Looking at the scrawls meandering across the papers he shook his head sadly. "No one would be able to decipher these," he stated. "But at least you tried!" he added hurriedly as the boy's look darkened further. "And look, this character is not bad at all!" he went on, pointing at one that was actually recognizable. "You will yet master calligraphy too, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." The boy started to shuffle to his room, leaving him standing alone with the bunch papers in his hand.

"Hikaru!" Sai called after him, and the boy stopped. "Let's forget the calligraphy for now, alright? I want to show you something. A game I played yesterday…"

Hikaru didn't look very eager, but followed him to the go board. It didn't take long before the game caught his interest, though. Once Sai placed the last stone on the board they sat a long while in silence watching it.

"That's some game," Hikaru said then. "One could imagine you were playing against your dad… though his style is different."

Sai nodded. "And we played this game in front of the emperor himself! Can you imagine?"

Hikaru gave an amused snort. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure it was grand," he said, and Sai smacked him with his fan.

"So it was! And don't you get it, Hikaru? The emperor was impressed with my game! Can't you see what that means? If I can get the emperor's confidence, maybe I truly can make a difference!"

"So you are still planning to make the world a better place?" Hikaru asked quietly. "I was wondering… you hadn't been talking about it anymore, and I thought you'd forgotten the whole thing."

"I certainly hadn't!" Sai exclaimed in an indignant tone. "I have been talking about it with my father. He… doesn't seem to believe I can do much, in the end, to change how our society works. It's too big a thing for one man, he says. But someone has to start it! I don't mean that the work he does wouldn't be important, too – to make sure that all those under his administration are treated fairly. But… it's just not enough."

He sat still, deep in his thoughts, staring at the go board with a little frown on his face, and Hikaru gave him a long look. "It's kind of funny," the boy said then, with a dry chuckle. "If we'd never met, and if this hadn't happened to Akari of all people, you probably wouldn't be giving stuff like this a second thought."

"True," Sai said with a sigh. "I was such a fool back when I first came to the capital…"

Hikaru suppressed a laugh. "And you're not anymore?" he asked in fake innocence, and received another whack.

…

The whole day when Sai was supposed to pay him a visit, Sugawara no Akitada had spent at his city mansion, thinking. He was trying to make up his mind how to deal with this upstart from the provinces, but found it hard to make a decision. Now that the emperor himself had seen Sai playing, he had to proceed with caution. That the blasted boy had to play such a brilliant game just then! He had hoped that the presence of the emperor would be enough to make him so nervous he wouldn't be able to play a coherent game, but the opposite had happened.

The boy had more nerve than he would have thought. And, perhaps, he was so more dangerous than he had thought…

It had been a mistake to agree to play a game with him with so many witnesses, at that poetry evening at Masatsune's. But how could he have known someone so young could be such a good player? Now, when the emperor had asked his opinion, he hadn't had any other choice but to admit that the boy had skill.

The Fujiwaras were clearly trying to bring him to the court. They had even brought him to the crown prince's good graces – one might think a little child's opinion wouldn't matter so much, but Akitada had come to see this wasn't quite true. The empress was fond of her son, and he was quite certain she was the main reason behind the emperor's interest. And after all, being the sister of the Minister of the Left, she didn't even need any additional motivation to advance their cause.

It was a good fortune the boy was so odd – so far that had been the one thing Akitada had been able to use against him. A great skill in go wasn't enough to make him important for most people at court, and his eccentricities certainly weren't going to endear him to them. Well… some of the ladies seemed to have taken a liking to him. He wasn't quite sure when and how that had happened – most of them had never even seen him – but somehow the rumors seemed to make them find him interesting. Akitada never could quite fathom how the women's world worked. The good thing was that there wasn't any among them whose opinions would have been important. Except the empress, of course…

The evening had arrived, he was sure Sai would be coming soon, and he still didn't know how he wanted to deal with the boy. Maybe he would wait, yet. See what the boy would do, and say. He might be a strong player, but that alone would not take him far, and though he might have more guts than one would have guessed, his naivety certainly was real. That was something a good player could use against him.

When Sai finally did come, there was no sign on his face of anything but friendly excitement. Akitada received him with an equally friendly expression.

"I have been waiting for you," he said. "I was replaying the game on my own, and I do find it quite an intriguing one. I am very curious about what you would say of many of the moves we played there."

"Same here," Sai said happily. "I showed the game to… a student of mine, and as we talked about it, I came up with so many things of which I would like to ask your opinion."

"Your student?" Akitada asked curiously as they settled down by the go board. "I didn't know you had one."

"Well," Sai said with an awkward laugh. "It's not really… official. There is just this boy in my household who is quite a good player, and I have been teaching him."

"Ah. Did he have some insight to our game?"

"Not much – but he is good enough to recognize a great game." Sai looked at the board on which rested the finished game. "Like here… would you think this move of mine was a mistake? We were thinking that maybe I should have, instead of attacking, played here…"

The evening passed quite pleasantly with them discussing the game with deep concentration. Akitada had to admit that if he just wouldn't have to worry about this greenhorn trying to usurp his position he would have even enjoyed their common analysis of the game. Now, he did not quite dare to let his guard down.

"It was quite a surprise to me when the emperor told me he wished me to play a game with you," he said when they were finally finished with the game. "But a pleasant one."

"If it was a surprise to you, you can only imagine how I felt," Sai said with a laugh. "I was… beyond stunned."

"One could not see that in your game, though. You seemed to be quite confident."

"Hmm… I don't know about that." Sai smiled a little. "Excited, mainly, once the game started."

"Your family must be happy with you," Akitada said smiling at him, and Sai laughed out again, this time a bit self-consciously.

"Yes, I guess they are." He was going to leave it at that, but went then on, "I just wish I knew what exactly they are planning. I mean, I'm sure they _are_ planning something, but…" He shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable, thinking about Nobunori's warnings about this man.

"Mmm…" Akitada was watching him with a strange little smile. "You are a young talented member of the Fujiwara family. You should certainly have a bright future in front of you – and your success is also your clan's success. Who knows, maybe some day you might even rise to my position."

Sai's eyes widened. "I… that would… I mean, yours certainly must be the happiest position one can have in this world, but… I don't think I would, truly…" His voice trailed off.

"You don't? Well, if you don't, I am quite sure there are others in your family who aren't so modest. But yes, what happens in the future… who can know it?"

Sai nodded, slowly. "Who knows, maybe some day I can inherit your place. But be that as it may, I hope you will be around for long, for I truly enjoy our games."

"As do I," Akitada said, deciding that for now he might be assured that this youngster didn't have any real political ambitions – those came from his family. Which didn't make him any less dangerous, but perhaps a little easier to manage.

...

The return to Kawachi was quite uneventful. They just about made it before the rainy season started. As Hikaru watched the rain hit the ground, he couldn't help remembering that horrible rain that had fallen when they first came to this province, and he felt like he might catch a cold just of the mere memory.

Sai had decided to keep him studying again. He had made the boy lists of the most basic characters, and had him copying them. Hikaru had come to decide he hated calligraphy. No matter how he tried, the brush just didn't make the kind of strokes he wanted it to. Not to mention that he was sure there had to be some simpler way to communicate than all these impossible characters.

"I just _can't_ learn this!" he wailed one day in exasperation, as he was once again copying those god-awful lists while Sai was reading his books. The rain drummed against the walls and the sound made him even more miserable. "This is awful." He stared at the sign that was supposed to be "year". It wasn't otherwise too bad, almost readable, but there was a big blotch of ink in the middle of it.

Sai looked up from his books and smiled at him. "It takes perseverance, that's all," he said. "Let's play a game later, when we're both done."

Hikaru sighed. The promise of go had long since stopped being a strong enough motivation for this.

But finally the rains ended, and the summer turned out to be a beautiful one. The weather was sunny, but still not too hot, and sometimes Hikaru joined Sai and his father on their rounds around the province. He found Kawachi quite a beautiful place, and the Yodo River, passing through the province's northern part, was a great sight, much wider than the rivers running by Heian-kyo.

Sai spent much of his time helping his father run the province. Hikaru was not the most attentive person, but even he couldn't help noticing how moody his teacher often was after a long day spent in official business.

"I never realized how much work there is to be done if you wish to govern _properly_ ," Sai sighed one evening. He and Hikaru were sitting together in what had become their unofficial study. The boy was eyeing a go book, trying to read it, but Sai was just lying on the floor, leaning against his elbow and ignoring his books at the moment. "I guess it might have been the same in Musashi, in the beginning, but by the time I was old enough to understand these things, father was already running the province the way he liked. Here…" He shook his head. "There is much to be done."

Hikaru gave him a long look, wondering what to say, but as Sai kept on staring into emptiness, apparently not expecting any reply, he turned finally back to his book, struggling on with the text without much progress.

A little later he woke up with a start; he had dozed off on the floor. Sai was still in the room as well, but now he was bent over a stack of papers, a brush in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Hikaru asked with a yawn and sat up.

"Writing a poem," Sai replied without looking up. Hikaru watched him a moment – poetry was something he truly had no interest in – and picked then up his book, planning to continue reading. Right then Sai lowered his brush.

"Listen, Hikaru, and say what you think." He started reading aloud.

_To whom does the cold come early?_  
To the man who fled and has been sent back.  
Although I search the registers, I cannot find his name.  
Asking for it, I try to determine his former status.  
The land of his native village is barren.  
His fate is to always be poor.  
If men are not treated compassionately,  
Surely many will continue to flee. 

_To whom does the cold come early?  
To…_

"How long is it?" Hikaru cut him off.

Sai looked up from his papers, frowning. "Ten verses so far. Now, listen: _To whom does the cold come early? To the child orphaned as an infant…_ "

Hikaru sighed and lay down on the floor again.

Sai sent the poem to his cousin with his next letter. Nobunori replied pretty quickly, praising the poem. _I took the liberty to read it to a company of friends, and everyone was very touched and admired it greatly. I knew you for a great go-player; I'm happy to see you're a great poet too._

Sai read the message without much expression, and crumbled it then in his hand. "They might admire it, and find it touching," he muttered to Hikaru's questioning look, though the boy didn't even know what he was talking about, "but will they _do_ anything about it?"

.

In the middle of the seventh month was the Festival of the Dead, and everywhere people burned stems of hemp to guide the spirits on their way. Sai and his father made offerings for Sai's dead mother, and they asked if there was someone Hikaru would wish to remember. The boy was about to decline, but came then to think of the old merchant who had been the first to teach him go.

"He reminds me of you a little," he said later that evening to Sai. "Not that he'd had long hair or anything, but people were telling him too that he shouldn't be teaching me, and he didn't care. I guess he just wanted to teach _someone_ … he was always complaining how his children and grandchildren didn't care about go. You know, he was going to let me work at his store. Wouldn't that have been something? Me selling fancy silk?"

"He sounds like a good man," Fujiwara no Kouyou, who had been listening to their discussion, put in.

"Yeah," Hikaru sighed. "I wish I'd known him for a longer time. We had barely got started when he passed away."

"A long time is not needed to form a deep bond. Surely you will meet him again in some later life."

"I hope so," Hikaru said. In truth, he never thought about lives to come – he had enough to do with the one he was living. But the idea of meeting Heihachi again some day was comforting, and he hoped Sai's father was right.

…

During the summer Sai visited the capital shortly twice more, but these times Hikaru didn't accompany him. Sai tried to talk him to try once more to visit his parents, or at least his mother, and Akari too, but the boy refused, saying there was no point. Sai didn't quite agree with him, but couldn't make him change his mind.

Once when Sai was again away in the capital, Hikaru was sitting alone in the library, eyeing a life and death problem, but his mind was elsewhere. He didn't notice how someone entered the room and placed a scroll on its place, before that someone came to sit opposite to him. He looked up with a start, and bowed at the governor.

"A hard one?" the man asked, and Hikaru looked down at the problem.

"I don't know… I haven't really thought about it yet…"

"Yet you seemed to be quite deep in thought. Is something troubling you?"

"No… not really. I was just thinking…" He fell silent, staring at the problem in front of him. _Just thinking that I don't really know what I'm doing here. That Sai's probably right and I_ should _have stayed with my parents…I don't know if I'm ever going to learn all the things he wants me to learn, and even if I do, then what? A place in his household, but… is that really something for_ me _…_

He didn't really know why this had been bothering him so much lately. Ever since of the Festival of the Dead, he had been thinking of his parents – they weren't dead yet, but the way he was estranged from them, it felt like they could have as well been. One night he had dreamed of returning home, but the whole neighborhood had burned down, and he couldn't find anyone, anywhere.

The dream had almost made him pack his things and rush back to the capital, but he told himself he was being silly. As if he was someone who saw premonitory dreams.

Suddenly he realized he had been silent quite a long while. Sai's father was watching him quietly, and he couldn't really read what the man possibly could be thinking about as he looked up. He was just about to say something – though he didn't quite know what – when the man spoke up.

"It has been a while since you came here," he said. "Why don't we play a game? I am curious to see how you are progressing."

"Ah…I…" Hikaru stammered, but couldn't really decline.

They weren't many moves into the game when he realized it was somehow different from the one and only game they had so far played. He couldn't quite put a finger on it; first he thought the governor was playing a teaching game, but that wasn't really it. Still, somehow it didn't feel like the man was playing seriously. Of course, there was no need for him to go all out against a player like Hikaru, but still the boy was beginning to get annoyed. One could almost say his opponent's moves were haphazard, pointless. Or was there something else going on the board, something deeper that he couldn't see?

He paused, fiddling a black stone in his hand, and stared at the board, his mind going over all the positions of the stones, and the consecutive moves he could think of. In the end he came to the conclusion that if there was anything deep going on there, it had to be something spectacularly ingenious. He snapped his next stone on the board, perhaps a bit harder than normally, and waited for his opponent to make a move, arms crossed over his chest.

Fujiwara no Kouyou did play a move, one that made no more sense than his previous ones, and resisting the urge to roll his eyes Hikaru played his next stone without even thinking. Was the man growing senile?

Kouyou smiled a little when his annoyance was beginning to leak to his face. "Do you find this game frustrating?" he asked. "Pointless, meandering, without any clear purpose?" He placed yet one stone on the board. "Sometimes, life is like that, too. It is, perhaps, an even more complicated game than go – and the rules, certainly, are much less clear. But there is one thing go and life have in common: all the purpose, all the meaning, must come from within you. You need to make a decision, you need to set yourself a goal – and then, diligently, work toward it."

He paused, looking expectantly at the boy, and Hikaru remembered the stone he had already taken in his hand. Feeling confused and a little hesitant, he placed it on the board. Almost immediately after, the man snapped his stone down with the same vigor Hikaru remembered from their first game. He said nothing more, but the move spoke for itself, and suddenly Hikaru realized that maybe, after all, the situation wasn't quite as bad for white as he had imagined. He took a deep breath, and thought.

No amount of thinking would have done him any good there; he lost the game as overwhelmingly as in his first game with Sai – or so it felt to him, at least. Unlike then, though, now he couldn't be disappointed, for he knew he still had played well and done his best.

"Would you like to discuss the game?" Kouyou asked.

Hikaru nodded slowly, eyes on the board. "I was just wondering," he said quietly, "if I should be here at all. Or if I just should go back home…" He thought about Akari, at the time when he had left her at the Rashomon gate. She had called him selfish… maybe he was. He certainly hadn't been thinking about anyone else but himself when he left.

"I told you once that all men should respect their parents' wishes," Kouyou said, not seeming to mind at all that they were discussing quite different things than the game. "But your life is yours – you should not throw away who you are just to please anyone. Even your parents."

"Who am I then?" The question burst out before he could stop it. "I… I mean…"

"That is a question only you can answer. But there is one thing I can see: if you do go back and become… a carpenter or whatever it was you were going to be, you might still live a happy life, but you won't reach your full potential. What you should do is to think of your life, decide what you want, and then… make it happen."

Hikaru couldn't help laughing out loud. "You make it sound quite easy."

"I never said it is easy. But I think you can reach your goals. Shall we discuss the game?"

"What? Yes, sorry, it… it'd be great."

.

When Sai finally returned from the capital, he found his father and his student absorbed in a game. He watched them a while, curious, as back when he had left Hikaru had been actively avoiding his father. Now the boy was playing as calm and composed as if it were a game between him and Hikaru. He did not complain, though; he had been wishing the boy would finally come around some day.

"Oh, hi Sai!" Hikaru grinned at him when he noticed they had an audience. "Back already? How was the capital?"

"The same as always," he replied, his attention on the board. "Have you two been playing a lot when I was gone?"

"Every day, recently!" Hikaru was still grinning. "I swear, it's even more frustrating to play against him than against you!" His tone was complaining, but he didn't look like he minded it so much. "Oh, and I've been studying too. The calligraphy stuff. Not that I'd have got any better, though, but still."

"Oh?" was all Sai could say to that.

"Yeah. Cause, you know, I've made my mind." The boy scratched his nose, his attention already returning to the board where the governor had just made a new move. "I, damn it, I'm going to be butchered again, aren't I…"

"What did you decide?" Sai urged him on, as he seemed to forget he was saying something.

"Hmm? Oh, just that I'm going to be your retainer, and I'll do my best to be a good one."

"I thought you had already decided that when you left from your home," Sai said with a little smile, sitting down to watch the game.

"Yeah, but… now it's for _real_."

That autumn and winter Hikaru spent studying more diligently than ever before in his life. In truth, it was only in go that he could clearly see himself making progress – well, perhaps his scribblings were nowadays a little more readable than before, but still his handwriting was quite awful, and he had not learned quite as many characters as he would have liked – just barely enough for everyday purposes. He had also made it a point not to fall asleep when Sai was reading to him – history, teachings of Confucius, and, worst of all, poetry, which he simply could not understand. Sai had also started to teach him Chinese, which, after all, was the main language for writing, and at times he thought it all was enough to break his brain.

These days he was playing daily games both with Sai and Sai's father, and as well with other members of the household – and to his joy he realized there were some good players among them who needed handicap stones against him. As he had only ever played against opponents that were clearly stronger than him, he had never quite understood the depth of his own strength.

In the winter they did not visit the capital once, for although it wasn't a long way, the winter was a harsh one and the roads were not in good condition. Sai had thought to go there once spring came, but at the time he had caught a nasty cold, and had a pretty bad cough. His father was fussing over him so much that Hikaru got worried and thought that perhaps the sickness was worse than he had realized, but Sai tried to calm him down. "It's just that my mother's sickness that took her life started with a cold," he explained. "It has, maybe, made father a little paranoid." This didn't really reassure Hikaru at all. If a simple cold could lead to death, there was no taking this lightly. And so Sai found himself with two people fussing over him, listening to his each cough, and forcing such amounts of medicine down his throat that he was sure he would soon become seriously ill.

He did recover, though, and relatively fast too, but his father recommended that he would not start traveling before they were sure there would be no complications following his cold, and before they knew it, summer was again behind the door. Having after all missed the series of lectures he had planned to attend to, Sai just made one short trip to the capital, and returned then a little disappointed. He had not been able to see Sugawara no Akitada – after such a long while he had wished to play against him again, for it wasn't just Hikaru who was developing. He didn't meet his cousin, either, or anyone of importance. Basically the only games he played there were against the old Watanabe no Tadatsuna, who was as absentminded a player as ever, if not worse.

"It was almost boring there," he muttered to Hikaru. "What a wasted trip, I got nothing done…"

"You did get my letter delivered to mom, though?" Hikaru asked. He had written by himself a little letter – in the syllable writing women used – to his mother, mainly stating he was doing fine, was learning a lot, and that he was sorry about how things had gone. It had been quite a painful endeavor to get it written, and quite a few papers had been thrown away before he was satisfied.

Sai nodded. "I didn't get any reply, though," he said a little sadly, but Hikaru just shook his head, satisfied that at least his letter had been delivered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _To whom does the cold come early?_ This poem was written by Sugawara no Michizane back when he was the governor of Sanuki. He at least showed concern over social problems most people ignored, but even he did not do much but write poems about them. If you want to read more about the poem, just [go here](http://books.google.fi/books?id=H0TAO98c9acC&pg=PA187#v=onepage&q&f=false).


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

It was the time for the rainy season to begin, but the skies were blue and cloudless. Sai and his father kept on watching up worriedly, but Hikaru was merely happy for each sunny day. When the rains finally came, they came with vengeance. It had rained almost constantly for a week, when one day the real downpour started. Hikaru didn't remember ever seeing rain falling with such power – but what worried him more was that both Sai and Sai's father shared his sentiment. Fujiwara no Kouyou was watching the rain with a deep frown.

Sai sighed, joining him. "Rain like this will be sure to destroy the gardens," he said sadly.

"Rain like this will do much more harm than that, especially if it continues like this," his father replied. "Now it is too dangerous, but tomorrow as soon as we can, we must go to inspect the water level of the Yodo."

Hikaru and Sai glanced at each other, unnerved by his worried look. "Maybe it will ease during the night," Hikaru said hopefully, but neither of the others replied anything, and they stood there in silence a long while watching the rain fall.

The rain did not ease in the night, quite on the contrary. In the middle of the night Hikaru woke to it, and to the sound of strong wind. He rolled over, very happy to be in his dry and warm bed, and lay awake listening to the deafening rumble **.** At times he thought he could hear voices, but they were distant enough to be almost completely covered by the sound of the rain. When he woke up again in the morning it was still raining, though perhaps not quite as heavily.

After a quick breakfast he went to look for Sai, and soon found him in the company of his father. There were other men with them, too, and they were discussing something quite animatedly. Hikaru approached them carefully, not wanting to disturb them, but Sai noticed him and came to him.

"Yodo River is flooding," Sai said before Hikaru could even wish him a good morning. "We're going out to check the situation."

"Out? But it's raining!"

Kouyou shot him a glance amid his preparations, and though it was a very quick look, it still told the boy what he thought of that brilliant observation.

"Indeed," Sai sighed. "Can't be helped. It seems pretty bad, and father wants to see himself what is going on."

"And you're going too?" As Sai nodded, the boy went on, "Then I'll come as well!"

"We're riding," Sai informed him, and the boy grimaced. Sai had been teaching him to ride, too – that had, in fact, been something Hikaru had been eager to learn, unlike writing and calligraphy – but he was still far from a good rider and found the practice rather painful. "It's not like you're going to gallop all around in this rain, right?" he said. "I'll manage."

They headed down toward the river banks, Hikaru, Sai, the governor and four of his men. They were wearing oiled cloaks, but even so, seeing how much it was still raining, Hikaru was quite sure they would not make it back dry. He thought a moment longingly of his bed – no one had forced him to get up, he could still be lying there nice and warm and dry, but then again, if _Sai_ was going to ride around in weather like this, he certainly wouldn't be any worse.

They stopped on a hillside to watch down to the river. Not that Hikaru, at least, could see much through the rain, but as he screwed up his eyes he realized that the river truly was even wider than normally, spreading over the flat lands around it.

"It must have destroyed quite a many huts by the river side," Kouyou said watching the overflown river. "The villages should be evacuated by now, but I wish also the people living outside of them have realized to move to a safe distance."

"One should think so," one of his men said. "These people know the river, they surely have sense to fly its wrath."

"Even so, we should send men riding by the banks to see if there is anyone in danger." He shook his head. "We can just hope everything is in order on the opposite shore."

After a short counsel they decided that the four men would ride to opposite directions by the river, inspecting the damage and recruiting others to help. The governor and Sai followed the river as well a short distance to check how a nearby village was faring – finding it flooded they turned toward the temporary shelters prepared for the people who had lost their homes. Hikaru hesitated, looking after the men who were continuing their way by the river.

"I'll go with them," he shouted to Sai as the two turned to look why he wasn't coming. "I want to help too!"

Sai opened his mouth to tell him to stop talking nonsense and follow them, but before he could say anything, his father nodded. "Be careful," was all he said, and Sai could just watch, fretting, after the boy as he spurred his horse after the two men.

The men did not seem pleased when they saw they had company, most likely thinking he would just be a burden for them. "Try to stay out of trouble," they told him. "Do not hurry, watch where you go. This much rain can make the ground itself unstable. Keep your distance to the river – the water level can still rise, and rapidly."

Hikaru took their advice with a stoic expression. He could understand they didn't want to babysit anyone in these conditions – as if he needed any babysitting. Did they think he was a complete fool? He most certainly would keep his distance to the river, even without them telling him so.

The rain eased a little as they went on, and now Hikaru could truly see the power of the flooding river. He stopped his horse for a moment to stare at the vast, foaming grayness in which floated dark forms: logs, tree branches, whole trees, things the river had swept away from the villages – and was that actually a small hut that floated on the waves?

The two men had ridden further and he hurried after them. His horse gave an annoyed snort, throwing its head – disliking the weather at the very least as much as he did. Hikaru patted its wet neck. He at least had his cloak… though it was anything but watertight anymore.

They met no one on the way, which, most likely, was a relief. Down by the river stood a little house surrounded by the water. Hikaru stopped to look hard at it, but there was no movement there, and so he too rode on. After a while the men stopped to talk, and then they separated, one still following the river, the other heading elsewhere. Hikaru had been too far behind to hear what they had been talking about, and they didn't find it necessary to brief him, but he guessed the other had probably gone to see how people were faring in nearby dwellings.

He was beginning to wonder what he was doing out there, riding around in this god-awful weather. Certainly everyone had understood to leave their homes by the river as soon as the water started to rise – and even if they hadn't, how would he be able to help them?

He stopped, wondering if he would somehow find his way to wherever it was Sai and his father had gone to. It felt like giving up, but he was getting cold, and… how far would they follow the river, anyway? All the way to the Biwa Lake, and beyond? He looked after the other rider, who was already disappearing into the rain, and turned back.

He rode again by that little house, and stopped for a moment to wonder if the water had truly risen as much as he thought it had around it, or did he just remember it so wrong. He was about to go on, when something caught his eye – not by the house, but there was something in the water close to it, a big dark shape, and… eyes narrow he tried to see better. It seemed to him as if there was something white against that dark shape, and that white moved. Maybe it was just foam of the river, but…

Carefully he urged his horse to go a little closer. The ground was muddy, the horse's hooves leaving deep tracks on it, but so far he was still on safe ground. And yes, now he was sure – there was a large rock there, and someone sitting on top of it. And the water was still rising, wasn't it?

He stopped and hesitated. There was no sign of his companions, nothing but the never-ending rain all around him. He thought of riding to get help, but for one thing, he had no clue where to ride, and for another, he didn't know how much the water would still rise, and how soon – how much time he had. Uncertain, he pushed his heels into the horse's sides and forced it to go even closer.

The rock wasn't that far, and now he was sure there indeed was someone on it. He could even hear the faint cries of help now through the rain and wind. Perhaps, on his horse, he would be able to reach it…

The horse, having more sense than its rider, almost bolted as he once again spurred it onward, but after a long battle of wills by the water's edge, it still set its hooves into the water, closing to the rock step by step. Hikaru grinned, glancing down: the water didn't reach even to his feet. He might be able to do this without getting wet at all. Well, any wetter than he was from the rain, anyway. Slowly and steadily he rode closer, and saw now that it was a woman on the rock, young or old, he couldn't make out in the rain, but definitely a woman.

"Don't be afraid, I'm coming!" he shouted through the rain, and right at that moment his horse suddenly lost its footing, and he almost fell down as it stumbled. He hung on to its mane and pulled himself back up again. The horse, he realized, didn't reach the ground anymore. It was swimming, splashing the water frantically, trying to get back to the ground, but river's current was catching a hold of it.

The stone was close, very close suddenly, and Hikaru reached out a hand, and got hold of the woman. He wasn't sitting on the horse anymore, just floating on the water above it, grasping the woman close to him. She too took a hold of the horse's mane, and the poor animal tried its best to fight against the pulling force of the river.

For one panicked moment, one hand clutching the horse's mane so hard that his knuckles were white, the other holding just as strongly to the woman, Hikaru thought that he had probably just killed them both, but then the horse suddenly found ground under its hooves, and stumbling made its way toward the shore. Hikaru and the woman clung to it the best they could, and fell then down into one bundle on the ground. The horse sprung from them, still stumbling, and stopped after a short while, shivering so hard water splashed from its mane.

"Ah…I…" Hikaru tried to say something, though he didn't himself know what. He rolled on his back, and the water fell on his face so hard he almost couldn't breathe. Suddenly a pair of hooves stopped beside him, and a moment he thought his horse had come back, but then he realized the legs were of wrong color.

Someone jumped down and bent over him, then looked at the woman who was sitting up on the ground. There was cursing. "I thought I told you to stay clear from the river!"

Hikaru sat up as well. "But she… the rock… I…" he tried to explain, but couldn't get anything sensible out. There were more voices, and shapes in the rain, and someone put a cloak over his shoulders – he suddenly realized he'd lost his in the river – and he was placed on a horse, not his own though, and he tried to tell them this, but no one was listening.

The rest of the day was quite hectic, and Hikaru didn't later have a clear memory of it. He was taken somewhere where it was warm, and he got nice dry clothes and something hot to drink. Suddenly Sai was there, frantic in the way only Sai could be, and he was taken into a carriage and to the governor's mansion.

Next day he woke up in his own bed to find Sai sitting by his side. The look he received made him grimace.

"I," he said, and left it at that.

Sai let out a long breath. "I _really_ can't leave you out of my sight," he said in a tone that was forced to be calm. "Just _what_ was that stunt about?"

"Saving that woman?" Hikaru replied, though it came out more a question. "She… is she alright?"

"Yes." Sai sighed and shook his head. "She's fine. Why didn't you just go to get help when you saw her?"

"I didn't know where! And I didn't know how long I had, if the water was still going to rise, or if there'd be one of those flash floods I heard you talking about, or something. I just… didn't dare to leave her there…"

"You really are the Fortune's favorite," Sai stated flatly. "I wonder if you understand how _incredibly_ lucky you are to be alive."

"I… I do," Hikaru said meekly. He remembered that panicked moment in the river, and shivered. What if something the flood had washed to the river had hit them? He hadn't even thought of that back then. "I know it was stupid. But…I had no time to think, and… and. At least we're both alive?" he offered.

Sai sighed once again. "Well, you'd better to stay in bed. It's a wonder you didn't – again – get a fever in these watery adventures of yours. But we're not taking any chances."

"I'm feeling perfectly okay," Hikaru said, starting to sit up, but Sai raised an index finger at him.

"Down," he commanded. "You'll stay in bed today. My turn to fuss over you, anyway." He smiled a little wryly. "We wouldn't want you to catch a little cold and die, would we?"

Hikaru just gave him a long, annoyed look, lying down again.

…

"That was an extremely stupid thing to do," were the first words Fujiwara no Kouyou said to him when he saw him next day. "You are much too reckless for your own good."

"I know, okay," Hikaru muttered. "I just had to do something."

Kouyou nodded. "Reckless but brave. In truth, you could have been right, and the flood might have risen up to the rock. And though it didn't, you were still the one to spot this woman, and so, you did save her life. Even if, with your actions you did also endanger it. But the fact is that if she had spent much longer in that rain, who knows if she had made it with just a mild cold."

Hikaru couldn't quite figure out if he was being praised or reprimanded. "Uh… I just… did my best… and I'm sorry if, I mean… next time, I'll be wiser."

"I sincerely hope there won't be a next time," Kouyou said levelly. "But I am relieved that you are alright. Sai would have been crushed if something had happened to you, and I'm not sure I would have forgiven myself for giving your permission to go. I don't think I'll do that again," he added then, as an afterthought.

"Umm, thanks?" Hikaru was beginning to wish for this conversation to end. "What was that woman doing there, anyway?" he asked just to change the subject.

"She was looking for her son. She thought he was with her husband, he thought he was with her, and when they realized he wasn't with either of them, they went to look for him. She thought he might have returned to their home, so she went there, and then the flood rose, so rapidly she couldn't get farther than to the rock."

"So was the boy safe?"

"Yes," Kouyou nodded. "He had been with some friends of the family."

"Figures," Hikaru muttered.

Sai joined them, and he and the governor started talking about all the work there was to be done once the flood would be over. Hikaru listened to them only with half an ear, his thoughts wandering.

"What are you thinking, Hikaru?" Sai asked suddenly, making him start. "You look so pensive."

"I just… just that there should be something to stop floods like that. Some… what do you call them, some kind of things to stop the water from coming to villages. Some… walls? I don't know. Something like that."

"It would certainly be a great thing to have, but I wonder how we could build anything that would stop such horrible water masses as we've been dealing with now. Forces of nature aren't easy to oppose."

"Yeah," Hikaru sighed. "I guess you're right." He thought a moment. "There's going to be quite a lot of repairing and cleaning and stuff," he said then. "Isn't there? Maybe I can help? I do know some carpentry, you know."

Kouyou was shaking his head. "You aren't easily put down, are you?" he muttered under his breath. "Maybe we'll find something for you to do."

...

Once the rains finally ceased and the river's water level started to fall, the sight revealed was quite depressing. And it wasn't just the Yodo River that had been flooding, smaller rivers both in Kawachi and elsewhere in the nearby provinces, as well as both Kamo and Katsura rivers that ran by the capital, had flooded, more or less devastatingly. The rest of the summer and autumn were spent repairing the damages, though there were also things that were not reparable; many had perished in the floods.

Hikaru's studies were once again forgotten as he spent his days outside, at first trying to help in the rebuilding of the destroyed houses and villages, but later becoming something of a combination of an overseer and messenger, delivering the governor's orders and carrying back messages about the progress. One thing he did learn pretty effectively during that time was riding.

Sai remained in Kawachi as well, placing also his own studies in the background. He spent much of his time in different towns of Kawachi, helping there the provincial officials to organize everything. He did at times think longingly of the capital, but overall he didn't have much time to dwell on it. He did exchange some letters and poems with Nobunori. His cousin tried to coax him to return to the capital, and though it was a very tempting thought, he knew he wouldn't spend his days restfully there, worrying about how things were proceeding in Kawachi.

One day when he again returned home he found yet another letter waiting for him. This one had another letter accompanying it, though. Sai took a look at it and went then to find Hikaru.

"You got a letter," he told the boy, who gave him a confused look. "A letter!" Sai repeated, waving the paper at him. "From home. Your mother, I think."

"Oh!" Hikaru grasped the letter eagerly and started reading it with a concentrated look on his face.

"Can you read it?" Sai asked. It was written in the syllable writing, so it shouldn't have been too hard for Hikaru.

Hikaru gave a hesitant nod. "I think so. It's… she's saying that… they're okay… the flood and rains were a bit frightening, but didn't do much damage there – I think – and… dad did lose his boat but he has already got a new one. She says dad's still angry at me, but… he's only faking it? Or something like that. And that Akari's family is alright, too." He frowned at the letter. "Somehow it sounds like she wrote this a while ago," he said.

Sai took the letter and gave it a look. "Yes… maybe. It might be Nobunori didn't find sending it an urgent matter."

"Well, at least they're okay," Hikaru said with obvious relief. He had been wondering how life was going in the capital. "I did get that right, didn't I?"

"Yes." Sai nodded. "Right on all accounts. Do you want to write her a reply?"

"Yeah! I'll do it right away!" As Hikaru busied himself with the reply, Sai read the letter through once more. Hikaru's mother really was assuring her son that everything was fine, which probably was true at the time she had written the letter, but he wondered how they were faring now. The rains had been hard for the crop, and he knew many storages had suffered from the excessive humidity of the summer.

"We might send them some rice with the letter," he said, and Hikaru looked up from his writing in surprise. "We could say it's for the services you have done. Keeping in mind the current state of affairs, it might come to good use. There has been some shortage in the capital."

"If you think it's okay…" Hikaru turned back to his writing. "I should say something about that, too…" He bent over the paper, drawing his scrawls with great patience. Sai looked at it over his shoulder and shook his head. Hikaru might have learned to read a little better – at least the syllable writing – but his calligraphy had not improved much at all.

...

After the watery summer the winter came early, and it too was quite wet. The roads to the capital were made of mud, and though Sai did wish he would soon be able to return there, he might not have braved them if Nobunori had not written to him and urged him to come.

 _My father was discussing you with the emperor the other day_ , his cousin wrote. _His majesty did you the honor of inquiring after you, wondering where you have been, as he had not heard of you for a long time. I believe he might wish to play a game with you personally. Do you think you could possibly tear yourself away from your dear province for his majesty to have his wish?_

Sai could have hardly declined this invitation even if he had wanted to. The very same day he started to prepare to return to the capital. Hikaru was wavering, unable to decide what he wanted to do. It would have been fun to go back with Sai – after all, it was already over a year since he had left the capital – but for one thing, he didn't feel too eager to travel on the muddy roads, and for another, he wasn't sure if he was yet ready to face his parents, and had he gone there, he would have had to go to meet them.

In the end he decided to stay yet in Kawachi. Sai was disappointed, but he hid it, and started his journey alone. He had hoped to make better time there, but on the bad roads it took him four days to reach the capital. On the very same day he arrived there he went to visit Nobunori.

As usual, he found it peculiar how little had changed in the capital. It felt to him like an eternity had passed since he had been there last spring, but walking into Nobunori's mansion it was easy to imagine he had never left the capital in the first place.

"I thought you'd come pretty fast," Nobunori stated with a little smile when seeing him. "This is even faster than I imagined, though. We just got your message that you're coming two days ago."

"Of course I came fast! When can I meet the emperor?"

Nobunori laughed out loud. "I never knew you were so enthusiastic about his imperial majesty. You who always found it ridiculous how all courtiers were just interested in advancing themselves." He laughed again as Sai tried to stutter something, quite abashed. "Don't worry about it, I'm just teasing you. And no, I don't know when you can meet the emperor. It will probably take a few days, at least – he does have other things to do than just to wait for you to come over from the provinces, you know," he added at Sai's disappointed look.

It took, in the end, a better part of a week, but finally the day came when Sai was again invited to the palace.


	16. Chapter 16

It took, in the end, a better part of a week, but finally one day Sai again entered the inner palace and the emperor's private chambers. He had been expecting that Akitada would also be there, and he was surprised to see no trace of the man. Nobunori accompanied him, though, and as the emperor was, as usual, sitting behind his curtain, Nobunori was the one to play his moves.

It was a very different kind of game from any Sai had played before. It wasn't a teaching game, for the emperor had not wanted that, but it wasn't quite a real game either. Nobunori had been giving him exact advice how to deal with it – "Don't win against him too overwhelmingly, but on the other hand, don't make it too easy for him, either" – and Sai found it surprisingly hard to balance on the golden mean. The emperor was a very good player, but he had some weak moments which made the game a little tricky, as Sai wasn't sure how deeply he should exploit them.

But once the game ended, the emperor seemed to be content with it, though it was hard to say for sure because of the curtain.

"A good game," he said with a gracious nod of his head, and Sai bowed. "It brings pleasant variety to play against new people, and one truly can learn much from games like this."

Sai bowed again. "I am happy if I have managed to please your majesty."

The emperor seemed to be about to say something else, but as Sai straightened something caught his eye, and the emperor followed his gaze. At the doorway, there was a small head peeking into the room.

There came a royal sigh from behind the curtain. "What are you doing here? Do go your way."

"I am sorry, father," the boy said, but didn't move. "I want to play a game with him too."

Sai smiled, recognizing the young crown prince. Two years had passed since he had seen the boy, and he had grown much, though he still was but a child.

"It is not your…" the emperor started to say, but someone entered the room through another door and joined him behind his curtain.

"Why don't you let them play?" came the empress's voice from there, and both Sai and Nobunori bowed at her. "He is very eager about it."

The emperor sighed, but in the end raised his hand in an accepting gesture. "Very well. But do play a good game, then," he said to his son.

"I will, father," the boy exclaimed happily, and Nobunori made hastily room to him as he rushed to the go board.

Sai couldn't help smiling at the boy's eagerness. "I am very happy to play against you too, your highness. I take it you don't anymore find go so boring?"

The young prince wrinkled his nose. "It is very childish to think that go is boring," he declared. "I have grown up."

"So you have," Sai admitted. "I am sure this will be a great game. How many stones do you think you should…"

"No handicap!" the prince exclaimed. "I want an even game!"

"No handicap?" Sai asked, rising his eyebrows. "My, you must be a strong player. Even your honored father had two stones against me." And in truth, he would have needed many more for the game to have been even, but that Sai didn't say aloud.

"Well…" The little nose wrinkled again thoughtfully. "I guess I can have three stones."

"Three stones it is, then," Sai agreed, and so they started the game.

Sai had not played many games against children, but he found that he enjoyed it. A child's game was so haphazard, but at the same time creative and not bound with old familiar conventions. He was happy to see that the boy clearly had been learning during these past two years, and he might yet some day make a good go player. He wondered a moment if he should let the boy win, but decided then against it. Not wanting to win against the enthusiastically playing boy either, he ended the game in a draw, which brought a little piece of extra fun to the game for him.

When the game was over he waited patiently for the boy to finish counting the territory. Just to be sure, the little prince did it three times.

"56-56?" he finally said, pouting a little. "I thought I might win…"

"It was an excellent game, though, your highness," Sai said, and pointed out a few moves he had found especially solid. "Though there were times when you should have paid a little bit more attention to what _I_ was doing, and not just concentrated on what you were planning to do."

"Mmm… maybe," the boy said. It didn't quite sound like he was listening, and he had started to play with the stones, forming of them a black and white chain. Sai glanced toward the curtain and gave then a hesitant look at Nobunori, uncertain of what to do.

"It has been a pleasure to play with you," the emperor said. "You should not spend so much time away from the capital. I am sure there are many people who enjoy playing with you."

"And I would enjoy playing with them, your majesty," Sai replied. "I did not plan to spend so much time in Kawachi, but with the unfortunate events of this year, I found that I could not just leave my father to deal with it all on his own."

The emperor nodded. "A very proper thing to do. One can only hope the gods don't see the need to punish our country more, so that we can have you here in the capital in the future."

Nobunori bowed and started to back out of the room, and Sai followed him. The prince glanced after them. "Are you going already?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"For today, yes, your highness," Sai replied.

"You'll come back?"

"Yes, I hope so, your highness."

The boy nodded and turned back to the go stones.

.

"I was really surprised he remembered me," Sai noted to Nobunori as they were leaving the palace. "He was so little when I met him."

"He remembered your hair, mainly," Nobunori said with a little chuckle. "But yes, you must have made an impression on him when you met. He's been asking after you, every now and then. I would have brought you again to the court much earlier, but the way you've been stuck in the provinces…" He shook his head. "For someone who once claimed never wanting to quit the capital again, you are surely spending a lot of time away."

"I know, I know! I just… I didn't plan it this way. It just happened. I am going to move back here soon."

"Good. What about the boy?"

"Hikaru? His go is progressing so fast you wouldn't believe it. Even my father is impressed. And I think he is growing up in every way. He'll be a fine young man before you know. I'm going to keep him in my household, as a retainer."

"Hmm." Nobunori sounded a little skeptic. "You know, his background isn't quite fit for that. If he at least were of the wealthier class of commoners, of a family with a surname, but as it is…"

"I really don't see what his name has to do with anything," Sai put in, a little annoyed. "We can give him a family name, if that's what it takes. He's a good lad – and I don't see how it's anyone else's business if he works for me or not."

"Anything you do that might have an influence on your reputation _is_ your clan's business," Nobunori pointed out. "Besides, if you wish to create yourself a career at the court, you have to pay attention to what people think. You will have enemies – anyone entering the court is bound to have enemies – and they will use anything they can to get you down. He _will_ be used against you, you can be sure of that."

Sai said nothing to that, but later in the night he couldn't help thinking about it as he lay awake in his bed. When he again returned home – once again without meeting Sugawara no Akitada during his stay at the capital, which rather disappointed him – he brought the matter up with his father.

"He does have a point," Fujiwara no Kouyou admitted. "Hikaru would be a good retainer for you – but I'm afraid our world doesn't judge people based on their skill. I'll need to think about this."

"I just don't know what we can do about it," Sai said. "It's not like we could change his origins – and even if could, we shouldn't! Why should he be ashamed of his family? He has good parents, even if they don't dress in silk and spend their days sending silly poems to each other!"

Kouyou smiled a little, recognizing the righteous indignation in his son's voice. Sai had always had a very strong sense of right and wrong, sometimes perhaps a little different from the society's norms, but he had not minded this – on the contrary. Sometimes, though, he couldn't help wishing he would have taught his son to be a little more careful with his opinions.

He spent his days watching Hikaru – the way the boy struggled with his studies, attacked go problems with a passion, did his best to help where he could, and spent the rest of his times either playing or fighting with Sai, like that younger brother his son had never had. And as the year was nearing its end, he made his decision.

So he sent a message to Fujiwara no Tadahira, the Minister of the Left, who was also the head of the Fujiwara family. He couldn't help smiling a little wryly when he imagined how his late wife's cousin would receive that message. Still, he was well within his rights with this decision, though it was just polite to inform the head before doing anything.

He did not have to wait long for a reply. As he had guessed, the minister was not happy about what he planned to do. The message was polite enough, though there was an underlying tone, "are all members of your branch of the family totally out of your minds?" Still, the minister did not outright oppose his plans, and so he summoned both Sai and Hikaru to him.

"When you returned from the capital," he said to Sai, "you spoke with me about a certain problem. This problem," he went on, turning to Hikaru, "concerns your birth. A retainer of our family has great status, and there are those who would find it ridiculous for someone of your origin to be placed in such position. I have been thinking about this matter, and I have come to a decision." He paused for a moment, and the two waited him anxiously to go on. "As Nobunori pointed out, you need a family name, but just giving you one won't in itself change much. You don't need just a name; you need a family. Therefore I have decided to adopt you into our clan."

There was a long silence after his declaration. "What?" Hikaru breathed then, and Sai clapped his hands together joyfully.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "What a perfect solution!"

"What?" Hikaru said again, and Sai turned to him, grasping his arms.

"Don't you get it, Hikaru? You can join our clan! Then no one will be… alright, so maybe they will, but it won't matter!"

"What?" Hikaru repeated yet once. "I _don't_ get it. I mean… if becoming a _retainer_ is too much for someone of my status, how can I… I mean, it's just… just, what?" He was looking from Sai to Sai's father and back, not knowing what to think.

"It is very simple, truly," Fujiwara no Kouyou said. "Once you have the name of the clan, you _are_ of the clan. Some might still sneer at your humble birth, but they won't do it publicly. Of course… but of course I should ask you first. Are you not happy with this plan?"

"Not… happy?" Hikaru felt like his brain was functioning with some kind of a delay. "I…! I just don't really get what that means yet, I guess," he finished a little meekly. "How do I get… adopted?"

"The easiest way is for me to adopt you, as my son. It is, after all, a personal matter, and so it won't be easy even for the head of the clan to oppose it."

"You?!" Hikaru almost shrieked. "But… what about… my parents? I mean, I already _have_ parents…"

"Certainly, and nothing will change that. They will always be your birth parents. But… do you not wish to be adopted by me?"

Hikaru could only make a choked sound at that. "I… I think I need to think about this," he finally managed to get out, and Kouyou nodded.

"Of course. Take your time, there is no hurry. In fact, the minister did have one request: that before I make the adoption public, I make sure you won't embarrass our family. There are many things you must learn."

"Oh gods…" Hikaru's head sank to his hands. "I'm _really_ not sure if this is such a good idea…"

"I think it's a brilliant idea!" Sai cried out. "Just think about it, Hikaru! How much you can do if you become one of us. You've already been running all around this province, helping to manage it. I'm sure you could be… you could be… anything! Even a great governor some day!"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Do give him some time," Kouyou said to his son as Sai, full of enthusiasm, was about to start convincing Hikaru what a great man he could some day be. "It is quite a big thing."

Hikaru got up and walked out of the room on shaky legs. Sai watched after him with a smile, and grinned then at his father. "I just wonder what Nobunori thinks about this. After all, it was he who first made me think about giving Hikaru a family name."

"It just might be he is not completely happy with how things turned out," Kouyou replied with a slow smile of his own.

…

The year changed. Sai had planned to go to the capital for the New Year, for this was a significant time for him: with the turning year he had turned twenty-one, and was so entering the rank system. The new ranks and appointments were announced a few days after the year's change, but there was a few weeks' time before one had to start in the new position, so Sai used the current bad weather as an excuse not go there before he absolutely had to – he was too excited about his father's decision to leave quite yet. So it took him a few days to hear of the appointments declared in the capital.

The three of them, Sai, his father, and Hikaru, were enjoying hot drinks one cool afternoon while having a pleasant conversation on go, when the messages arrived. There was a letter from Nobunori with them, and Sai read it first, frowning at it in mixed amusement and confusion. "He's saying that I probably regret now not having come there for the New Year, and that I truly should get myself there as fast as I can," he said to Hikaru and his father, who were watching him expectantly. "I really have no idea what he's talking about," he said, opening the other message. "It's not like I…"

The sentence remained unfinished as he stared at the message in his hands, stunned. "What? What is it?" Hikaru asked eagerly.

Sai made a choked sound. "Junior fifth rank…" he managed to get out. "Upper?" He shot a look at his father, who was staring at him equally astounded.

Hikaru grinned. "Hey, that's pretty good, isn't it?" His grin faded away as the others said nothing. "Isn't it…?"

"It's just… _fifth_ rank?" Sai was still staring at the message as if he didn't quite believe it could be real. "How could I… that's a _court_ rank, Hikaru, don't you get it? How is this _possible_?" He looked again at his father who could just shake his head, a worried look on his face.

"Do you have an appointment?" he asked, and Sai turned his eyes back to the message, reading on.

"Yeah! Are they making you too a governor or something?" Hikaru leaned forward with eager curiosity.

Sai said nothing, just read the message through and through again, eyes growing wider all the time. Then, still quiet, he offered it to his father.

Kouyou took one look at it and shook his head. "Decline," he said.

"What?" Sai breathed, a stunned look still on his face.

"What?" Hikaru too asked. "What is it? Something bad?"

"You should decline," Kouyou said, giving the message back to his son. "Trust me, that is the wisest course."

Sai was shaking his head. "I have a feeling you're not talking about just a customary 'this is too great an honor for me' declination that is supposed to go ignored, are you?"

"No. This _is_ too much, too soon." A frown passed over his face. "I can't understand what they are thinking, you are clearly not ready…"

"Won't _anyone_ tell me what is going on?" Hikaru put in, just barely containing himself.

"I have been appointed as the junior go teacher to the emperor," Sai said, turning to him. A grin spread slowly across his face. "Can you believe it?"

"It is _not_ something you should take lightly," Kouyou said sternly before Hikaru could even open his mouth. "Someone as young as you gaining such a high position so suddenly is bound to arouse the jealousy of many. And I wonder what your co-teacher thinks of this."

"Sugawara no Akitada." Sai paused for a moment, thinking about the man, all the games they had played together, and everything Nobunori had had to say about him. "I don't know," he admitted. "But, father…" He turned to his father, bowing his head. "I do not mean to disrespect your advice. But… I would like to return to the capital and find out how this all really came to be before making any rash decisions. Wouldn't it be rude if I just declined it without even bothering to visit the capital?"

Kouyou sighed. "You're right. Yes, you must return there as soon as you can, whatever you decide to do. I just hope you will consider all sides of the matter carefully – and if you just can, consult with me before making any final decisions."

"But it's just so cool!" Hikaru put in, pretty much ignoring Kouyou's worries. "When are you going there? Right away? Can I come too?"

"That would…" Sai started to say, but his father cut him off.

"It might be best for him to remain here for now. You'll have enough trouble there without him. He is not adopted yet, you know."

"He might be right," Sai said to Hikaru a little sadly. "I'd love to have you with me, but maybe it's best you stay here for now – and study diligently."

Kouyou nodded. "I was thinking of getting a tutor. There is much you have to learn, and no matter what Sai does, he has no time to teach you properly."

Hikaru grimaced, but Sai was nodding. "That's a splendid thing, father. You really have to study hard," he said turning to Hikaru. "There are so many things we haven't even talked about yet."

"I guess," the boy sighed.

Kouyou was watching his son worriedly as they stood up. He could see the excitement – and certainly understand it too – and he wondered if Sai would be able to resist this temptation. He didn't yet have enough experience to understand what he would throw himself into.

"If you wish to swim with sharks, you should have sharper teeth yourself," he said quietly, but Sai didn't seem to hear him in his excitement.

.

"So what's the big deal about the rank?" Hikaru asked later when he and Sai were alone.

"What's the big deal!" Sai exclaimed. "Gods, you have plenty to learn, don't you? The junior fifth is usually awarded to the heir of an official of _first_ rank – my father is fourth rank, so I should have got seventh rank or something like that. I did tell you the fifth's a court rank, didn't I? Don't you understand what that means?"

He sighed as the boy gave him a blank stare. "Now listen, there are altogether eight ranks. The first three are the High Court Nobles, ministers of state. There's another division at the fifth rank – the fourth and fifth ranks are the lesser aristocratic ranks. The ranks from eight to sixth are for minor officials, and…"

He paused. The look on Hikaru's face told him that the boy didn't find this very interesting. "Alright, let me put it this way," he went on. "An official of the sixth rank gets about 22 _koku_ rice as annual salary. The promotion of only one grade to junior fifth lower raises that to 255 _koku_."

"Two hundr…" Hikaru's eyes widened. "How much does a minister get?"

"With the third rank, it would be close to 7,000 _koku_ ," Sai said seriously, and Hikaru spluttered a moment.

"What do they do with that much rice!?" he finally exclaimed.

Sai smiled a little. "They do have expenses… though I'm sure they could get by with less. It _is_ a little ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Wow." Hikaru looked still a bit stunned, but grinned then. "Over 200 _koku_ for you, huh? That's great! Are you really going to say no to that?"

"It's not about the pay, Hikaru," Sai said with a tiny frown. "You must know I really want that position. It is something I haven't even dared to dream about yet – or I have, of course I have _dreamed_ about it, but I couldn't believe… I still can't believe…"

"Yeah." Hikaru turned suddenly serious. "Say, if I'm gonna be adopted, do I get rank too?"

Sai paused. "I haven't really thought about that," he confessed. "But I think so? After all, my father is fourth rank, and as I said, the children of those who are fifth rank and above are automatically admitted to the rank system. I don't know what your rank would be though – and you won't be getting it before you turn 21."

"Funny," was all Hikaru had to say to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One (Heian age) koku = about two bushels. 7000 koku is a lot of rice… Once again I’m honestly wondering how you, in practice, use rice as a medium of payment. Do you walk around with a pouch of rice on your belt? “Hi, how much is that pretty trinket? 500 rice grains? Okay, one, two…” Hah, maybe not. xD But this is the reason I’ve avoided buying and paying and anything money-related in this fic…
> 
> And back when I wrote the scene with the crown prince I didn't think much about it, just figured he sneaked there on his own, but now I've got a feeling his mother was really behind it, no coincidence she was there telling them to let him play...
> 
> Oh, and the rank system and all... I've managed to make myself quite confused about it all. Other places say you'll have to be 21, and still it seems like some teenagers do have ranks, and... whatever. I give up. (And I've a feeling Sai should have went to the capital for all this, but 1) I said in the sequel he's in the provinces, and 2) this way I didn't have to try to figure out what the ceremonies are like, so. Again, whatever.)


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

And so Sai returned once again to the capital. He was beginning to grow very familiar with the road between Kawachi and Heian-kyo.

Before making any decisions, he wanted to talk with Nobunori about his new position. He had been wondering about the way they had been taking him into the palace – after all, those below fifth rank weren't even allowed to appear in the Imperial Audience Chamber, and there he had been, having private audiences with the emperor. As far as he knew, it was almost unheard of. He had thought these had just been some unofficial exceptions to the rule, not having any deeper meaning than letting the emperor satisfy his curiosity about his go, but now he wondered.

The first one he met in the capital wasn't his cousin, though. He got a surprise visit from Sugawara no Akitada.

"It has been such a long time!" he greeted the man, at the same time happy and nervous. "I would have wanted to meet you on my previous visits, but I guess you must have been too busy…"

"Yes," Akitada said shortly. "You seemed to be busy as well."

"Well, the floods in Kawachi were pretty bad…" Sai ventured, uncertain of what he meant. Akitada smiled a little wryly.

"I mean your visits to the palace. I hear you have been playing go both with the emperor and the crown prince."

"Oh, that? Yes, my cousin took me there on my last visit. He said the emperor wished to play against me, and…"

"And now you have your new rank," Akitada cut him off. "Not to mention your position. Congratulations." His tone was quite cold.

"Thank you, "Sai said hesitantly. "It was quite a surprise to me…"

"I am sure it was."

There was a moment's silence. "Are you… angry at me?" Sai asked then hesitantly. There was something strange in Akitada's manner.

"Angry?" The elder man smiled again, a rather unpleasant smile. "Now, why would I be angry?"

To win some time and to hide his discomfort Sai sat down and gestured to his guest to do so as well. "I truly was surprised about this," he said carefully, arranging his clothes around himself. "I hadn't heard anything to indicate something like this. It came to me as a complete…"

"Surely your visits at the court should have told you that something extraordinary was brewing," Akitada cut him off. "You can't possibly be so naïve you wouldn't have noticed anything!"

"I _did_ think it was odd," Sai said defensively, fingering nervously his fan. "But how could I imagine they were planning to… I mean, I didn't know it was even possible to…"

Akitada leaned back a little, shaking his head, but his anger seemed to fade a little. "And what shall you do now that the impossible has happened?"

"I don't know yet," Sai admitted. "I… my father said I should decline, but I thought… I mean, couldn't I, possibly…" His voice trailed off.

"Wise man, your father," Akitada said dryly. "You should do as he says. Decline, and go back to Kawachi."

"Back to Kawachi?" Sai said in surprise. "Why? Even if I do decline…"

"It would be awkward for you to remain here. _Very_ awkward, for everyone involved. Perhaps you can, some day, come back, but the coming years you'd be wise to spend in the provinces. And surely that wouldn't be so horrible to you," he added with a clear sneer in his tone, "as you love the provinces so dearly."

Sai looked at him, hard, pursing his lips. Akitada returned his stare, and looking into his dark eyes Sai couldn't help wondering how well he in the end knew this man.

"Perhaps I will decline, in the end," he said in a careful tone. "Perhaps. But I do not understand why you must be so worked up about this. Why can't we both serve his majesty? Surely you can't imagine I would be trying to usurp your place?"

A wry smile tugged Akitada's lips. "I have a very vivid imagination. And I think you have already proved that _you_ don't have much say in what your family plans. Go to the provinces. I doubt they'd drag you here by force."

Sai was quiet a long while. "Maybe I will decline," he repeated then, his voice tight, "if this is how you feel about it. But I do not plan to move back to the provinces to stay."

"Is that so?" Akitada stood up. "A piece of friendly advice, boy: consider carefully what you do."

He left. Sai sat on the floor staring after him, biting his lower lip. He didn't have long to sit alone, though, for soon his second cousin appeared in the doorway.

"I ran into Akitada-sama as I came," Nobunori said lightly as he stepped in. "He didn't seem to be in a good mood." He looked down at Sai and took in his pouty expression and shadowy eyes. "And neither are you, apparently. Come now, Sai, I thought you'd be happy! Isn't this your dream?"

"Not like this," Sai said, voice quivering a little. "You're messing it all up!"

"Oh?" Nobunori sat down. "Stop being childish, Sai. What, do you want to wait for Akitada to retire? He could still hold his position for the next thirty years for what we know! "

"I know, but…"

"No buts there!" Nobunori waved his objections carelessly away. "I know this is sudden, but we want you into court, now. It would be better if you were a little older, yes, but that can't be helped. But it's good that you came here so quickly. Tomorrow we'll go to court and…"

"I'll decline," Sai said sourly.

Nobunori paused. "What?"

"I said I'll decline! I'm not going to accept this position!"

"Now, listen, Sai," Nobunori said with a sigh. "Even if you do write a petition to decline, it won't be accepted. No, it _won't_ , so don't bother wasting everyone's time."

Sai gave him a dark look. "In that case I'll just return to Kawachi and won't come back."

"Oh?" Nobunori smiled a little. "Really? For how long? Come now, I didn't imagine you'd need to be persuaded! Say, _why_ don't you want to have this position? Just because it made Akitada sour? Seriously, Sai, I have often told you that man is no friend of ours, what does it matter what he thinks? Are you going to let him bully you to lose your dream? You're just being silly! The emperor likes you, the empress likes you, and the crown prince above all – they all want you there! And just because one man is paranoid for his position, you're going to scurry back to Kawachi and rot there? You have to be kidding me."

Sai said nothing. Nobunori seemed to take his silence as a sign of giving in. "So, tomorrow! Don't sleep long, I'll come early to help you get ready. It'll be a grand day for you, so try to rest well!"

Sai barely closed his eyes that night.

.

True to his word, Nobunori arrived while the twilight still lingered on the streets and the only sign of the sun was a pale line in the horizon. Sai met him fully awake and dressed, and with quite conflicting emotions. All through the night his mind had been overworking, going through all the possible (and most likely also some impossible) scenarios of what could happen if he either accepted or didn't accept the offered position. In the quiet hours of the night, his mood had varied between utter despair, righteous rage, and tingling (though a little guilty) excitement. When he finally gave up on sleeping and dragged himself out of bed, he was quite exhausted, and didn't anymore know at all how he felt.

Nobunori shook his head at his disheveled appearance and the dark circles under his eyes. "You're taking this too seriously," he said as he set out to make his cousin fit for the court. "Why do you always have to get so emotional? Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Sai said nothing, but let himself be dressed in court clothes, accepting Nobunori's choice of perfume, as well as the make-up to hide his tiredness. He did realize that he had no choice but to visit the court this day, whatever he would decide to do. Hopefully that visit would help him to clear his thoughts. He tried to listen carefully to the instructions Nobunori was giving him during the preparations, for no matter what happened, he didn't want to end up offending anyone. Still, his thoughts kept on wandering and he couldn't quite concentrate.

Nobunori seemed to realize that any in-depth explanations of court etiquette would at the moment be wasted, so in the end he just clapped Sai encouragingly on the shoulder, giving him a heartening smile.

"Try to relax. Just be yourself and don't worry so much – all will go fine."

Still in a gloomy mood, Sai just gave him a look.

.

Overall, one could say that all did go fine at the palace. If people thought there was something off with Sai's sudden promotion, they didn't show it. Everyone was friendly, and seemed to take it for granted that he would accept his new position – he was led to the inner palace and informed he was given quarters there, so that he could remain close to the emperor, were his services needed.

He also had a short audience with the emperor, who told him he would be taking over the crown prince's go lessons. Although his feelings were still quite murky, Sai couldn't help feeling happy over this piece of information, for he had enjoyed his short encounters with the crown prince. Still he would have wanted to voice his hesitation, but somehow was never given chance to it. His attempts to suggest that the honor was too great for him were promptly brushed aside.

"Souji!" the emperor finally exclaimed, and a monk approached them. "Why don't you take him to see my son." He turned back to Sai. "He has been waiting for your arrival eagerly."

Sai bowed. "And I shall be happy to see him again, your majesty. But I…"

The emperor had already turned away from him, and Sai swallowed the rest of his sentence. Holding back a sigh he rose to his feet and followed the monk.

"I have heard quite a lot of you," the monk said in a conversational tone as they walked on. "Very varying things – but nothing that would be bad in my ears. I am happy to finally meet you in person."

"Mmm. I'm glad to meet you too," Sai replied, automatically acknowledging his words, though he didn't really pay attention. A moment they walked in silence. Sai's thoughts were quite preoccupied by the situation, and he didn't notice the long look the monk gave him.

"The emperor spoke the truth," the monk suddenly said as they walked through a covered passage connecting the different parts of the palace. "Our little crown prince truly has been waiting for you, and so has his consort, Hiroko-hime. As you will soon find out." He stopped by a doorway to let Sai enter the room first.

Sai was about to ask him what he meant, but as soon as he appeared in the doorway there came the sound of fast, thumping steps, and the crown prince appeared in front of him, grinning.

"Finally you're here! What took you so long?"

Sai couldn't help smiling a little. "I am sorry to have kept you waiting, your highness," he said with a deep bow. "This matter took me by surprise –and I am still not sure if I should…"

The boy didn't listen. Instead he grasped his sleeve and dragged him into the room. "Come, let's play!"

Sai gave a resigned sigh. Maybe he would play a game or two with the boy before… before what? He settled down by the go board feeling quite uncomfortable. If he really was going to decline the position, he should have said it to the emperor, right away. Now it was getting more and more difficult to back away.

"I'll have three stones again, okay?" the boy asked, happily oblivious to his discomfort. "Would you play a teaching game with me?"

"Certainly, your highness." Sai looked thoughtfully at the boy in front of him. The truth was he would enjoy teaching this child. The crown prince, now eight years old, seemed to be a bright boy, and one with some innate skill where go was concerned. If only the circumstances were different… He felt a moment of annoyance at Akitada. Why did the man have to be so unreasonable? They would have to talk again, and now he would convince Akitada that there was no reason for him to feel threatened.

The boy had placed his handicap stones on the board and was now looking up at him expectantly. He bowed his head a little. "Onegaishimasu."

"Onegaishimasu!" the boy replied, and the game was on.

They were half-way through the game when princess Hiroko arrived to the room. Sai gave her a bow, wondering if this time it was alright for her to be there, but at least the lady accompanying her just sat down beside her, perfectly calm, so he figured that most likely everything was fine. He noted that the boy seemed a tad annoyed of her arrival, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, but saying nothing – though he did sit a bit straighter.

The girl followed their game silently and remained quiet when they started discussing it, but she was obviously listening keenly. Sai was going to ask her if she wished to play a game, but right then the monk returned to them, making Sai to start a little – he hadn't even noticed the man had left the room.

"I have to ask you to pause your discussion," the monk said quietly, bowing his head at Sai. "The empress wishes to see you."

"Now?" the little prince gave him an annoyed look. "Can't she…"

"Now, your highness," the monk said levelly, and the boy sighed.

"I was hoping to play a game with him," the princess said, a tiny frown on her face. "Please bring him back here once grandmother is done, Tora."

The monk gave a little bow at her while Sai stood up, wondering what a strange nickname that was for a monk.

"I'll come back when I can," Sai assured the children, though he did feel a little anxious. He tried to remind himself what a friendly person the empress had been. Certainly there was nothing to worry about.

“Lady Asumi,” he heard the princess saying to the lady who was accompanying her, “I want to play with you while we wait.”

“Shouldn’t you play with your husband, your highness?” the lady asked quietly. Silence followed, and Sai could imagine the sideward glance the princess was giving the boy. He couldn’t hear her reply, for they were getting too far away.

The monk led him to the empress's quarters, where, to his shock, he saw the empress herself, lying leisurely by a go board, some of her ladies around her. Sai stopped, hesitated, but the monk gave him an encouraging nod.

"Come, come here." The empress gestured invitingly with her fan. "Play a game with me."

Sai swallowed as he knelt down by the board. He bowed deep. "This is a great honor for me, your majesty." Out of the corner of his eye he could see two of the ladies whispering to each other, their eyes twinkling above their fans, and he could feel a blush creeping across his face.

"You have played both with my husband and son," the empress said, placing some handicap stones on the board. "I figured it is time you play with me, too."

Sai said nothing, just bowed again, for he couldn't find his voice. They started the game in silence. Sai kept his gaze on the board, trying to concentrate on the game. Surrounded by a group of strange women, their perfumes wafting around him, he found that quite hard.

"My husband must have told you our son will be your student," the empress said suddenly. "But if you are to be a go teacher at the court, it means you can play with a wide variety of people – including myself, and the other ladies of the court." She glanced up with a wry smile. "I hear some of them are quite eager to play with you."

There was laughter among the ladies, and Sai blushed a little again, but a new thought had just occurred to him, and it pushed aside any embarrassment. "I have never really played go with women before," he said thoughtfully. "Except my mother, of course, but that was long ago. I wonder if a woman's game is different from man's…"

"What, have you never played with a sweetheart?" the empress said, amusement in her voice. "Well, here you can find out. But, coming to think of it, how come you aren't married yet? You're certainly old – and handsome – enough."

"I… I…" Sai stuttered, staring at the empress eyes wide, his hand forgotten hovering above the stone bowl.

The empress and her ladies laughed out aloud. "Oh, don't mind me. I just can't resist teasing you a little… an old woman's entertainment."

"You're hardly old," Sai muttered and played his move. True enough, though the empress was on her forty-fifth year, she would have passed for much younger. "I have not been thinking much on marriage," he said, regaining his composure. "It has not felt timely, so far. Perhaps once I…" Establish myself here, he had been about to say, but paused. It was beginning to seem he had made his mind to stay at court.

"Yes, your life has seen such great changes with this year it must be wise to wait a moment, see what direction your life will take. Then again, marriage forms a deep connection, and you might wish to tie yourself to some prominent court families." She spent a moment watching the board. "I heard from Torajirou this position came as a surprise to you," she said suddenly.

Sai blinked. "Tora…?"

"Her majesty means me," the monk said, leaning forward. He had been sitting quietly by the wall, watching the game. "Torajirou was my name before I took my oaths. She still insists on using it."

"I find it a fitting name," the empress declared, eyes still on the board. "Tora – tiger. He seems a quiet enough man, but there are many who have come to find otherwise. It has not made him overly popular – but a true monk does not care about popularity, does he?"

The monk bowed his head, saying nothing. Sai watched him curiously. He did look like an ordinary monk, a spindly middle-aged man dressed in rather simple robes, his expression calm but kind.

"So, my brother did not tell you of his plans beforehand?" the empress said, startling him awake from his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize she was talking about the Minister of the Left, Nobunori's father.

He shook his head. "No, your majesty."

"Hmm." She shot a glance at her ladies, and right away they gathered themselves up from the floor and left the room. Only the monk remained with Sai and the empress.

"I do not in any way mind having you here," the empress said slowly. "On the contrary. _But_ … I feel it is rather irresponsible of my brother to throw you in here without giving you any explanation whatsoever. Why do you think you are here?"

"I don't know," Sai admitted. "This has caused me quite much confusion. I… _I_ don't mind being here, of course not – in fact, this has always been my dream, but… I do wish I understood what is going on. I guess it all has to have something to do with… with internal politics of the court, but… I feel I'm such an insignificant piece in this game I don't really understand why I'm here at all."

"Mmm…" The empress leaned her head against her hand and gave him a tiny smile. "True, you are hardly important. But it's the little pieces that form the big picture." She gave a little sigh and sat up, straightening her back. "My husband has reigned for thirty-three years," she said. "It is a long time… after Emperor Kammu, who relocated the capital here to Heian-kyo, no one has ruled past twenty years – not many even past ten. There are those who think it is time for him to abdicate."

"Abdicate?" Sai was genuinely surprised. "But the crown prince is still so young – wouldn't it be better to wait for him to grow older?"

The empress gave a little laugh. "That is exactly what my brother doesn't want to happen – a child emperor needs a regent. Our eldest brother was my husband's regent, as I am certain you know. After his untimely death, my husband grasped the power himself. Now, the younger the new emperor is, the better – he will grow accustomed to having a regent, and so our family can again keep that position even when he is grown-up."

There was a moment's silence as Sai thought of her words. _Our family_ , she had said – even if she was the empress, clearly she was still above all a Fujiwara. "I am sorry," Sai said then. "But I still don't understand what this has to do with me…"

"Once the emperor abdicates, he moves to a palace of his own – where he has his own court. His own go teacher. Now, were there only one teacher, he would probably remain here, but with two, it should be obvious: Sugawara no Akitada will go, and you will stay. And so one more position – perhaps not politically important, but even so highly respected – will move to our family."

Sai watched the board quietly, but for once he didn't really see it. It was so obvious, now that the empress had spelled it out for him. He should have understood what was going on by himself. So he really was there to take Akitada's position. The thought made him a little bitter.

"What do you think about it, your majesty?" he asked carefully. "If the emperor abdicates, then you too…."

"Oh, I too have spent a far longer time than most women as an empress – and, after all, it will be my son who will be the next emperor and my brother who will be the regent, so I have nothing to complain." She gave the young man on the other side of the go board a long look. "Something about this bothers you," she remarked.

Sai said nothing, just finally played the stone he had been fiddling in his hands, eyes on the board.

The empress sighed. "You're so young," she muttered. "I feel this might have been too sudden for you. But the other option would have been to wait for four years, for you to finish another appointment first, and I doubt my husband will stay in power that long. And I, too, wanted you here now." Sai gave her a surprised look, and she smiled a little. "I was the one to convince my husband to give you this position," she said. "I can see that my son likes you better than Akitada-sama – and what is more important, you like my son better than he does. I can't help feeling you'd be a good companion to our new little emperor. You will, won't you?"

She nailed her eyes on Sai, who blushed, once again. "I… I'll try, your majesty," he stuttered, and realized he had committed himself with those words.

"Good." The empress nodded. "Let us finish our game."

…

"You could have told me," Sai said to his cousin in an accusatory tone later that day. They were sitting in Sai's new residence at the palace. Sai had retired there as soon as he could excuse himself, and pretty soon Nobunori had come to see him. He had not been overly pleased to see his cousin.

"Tell you about what?" Nobunori asked casually, assuming a more relaxed position.

Sai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "About… everything! Luckily the empress decided to inform me of all that is going on. I would be completely lost here without her majesty! Why didn't you tell me! Are you really going to make the emperor to abdicate?"

"Me?" Nobunori raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "I could hardly…"

"You know what I meant," Sai cut him off icily.

Nobunori was quiet a moment. "If you ask me, it's high time," he said then. "Besides, why shouldn't his majesty abdicate while he's still not too old to enjoy his retirement? And as for why we haven't been telling you everything… you can just blame yourself. You clearly can't keep a secret."

It was Sai's turn to remain quiet, weighing his words. "I guess it doesn't matter, in the end," he finally concluded with a sigh. "I gave a promise to the empress, so… here I am. But I don't want to take any part in your scheming."

He fixed a stern look at his cousin, who received it with a lazy smile. "Don't worry. No one is expecting you to – you can just enjoy the fruits. But I must warn you: you might find it difficult to stay outside of court intrigue. And who will you side with if not your own family?"

"I think I'd like to be alone now," Sai said levelly, ignoring his question, and Nobunori left, the tiny smile still tugging his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doubt the empress and her ladies would have really been so informal with Sai, but... well, at least he's family. Perhaps not close enough to get chat with them face to face like that, I guess, but I plead artistic license here.
> 
> Souji is a name formed with two of the kanji in Kuwabara Torajirou… I think it was the family name's first and given name's middle kanji, or something like that. Just for the record. (I considered calling him Shuusaku here, but that felt kind of silly, and as Torajirou didn't sound like a monk's name to me, I decided to make up a name…)


	18. Chapter 18

Days flew by with an astonishing speed. Sai spent them at the palace, trying to get used to his new life. Every day was in a way similar to the previous, the life at the palace having a rhythm of its own that it unwaveringly followed; but every day he also played a variety of games against a variety of opponents, and all of them were different from the other. He didn't meet the crown prince daily, for the boy had also other lessons and duties to attend, and all things considered, Sai found his new post quite a leisurely one. He certainly did not mind, as this left him much time for playing games with other people.

He wrote letters to home, both to his father and to Hikaru, explaining the situation as closely as he dared in writing. He did not tell everything, but he was sure his father would be able to read between the lines all he left unsaid. He just hoped Fujiwara no Kouyou wouldn't be too unpleased with him. Then again, after the empress had personally asked him to stay, he didn't know what else he could do.

And he _wanted_ to stay, to be honest. Every night he decided that next day he would seek out Sugawara no Akitada and resolve the matter with the man. Somehow he never got a chance for this, though. Akitada always seemed to be somewhere else than where he was.

In truth, he didn't really have much time to worry about it. His days were filled with new faces, and he couldn't help feeling a little astonished at how many people there were at the court. The first day had been the worst, as Nobunori had seemingly decided he had to be introduced to everyone right away. There were, of course, some people he was already familiar with, at least superficially, but the unending stream of minor and major counselors and controllers and secretaries had made him almost dizzy, and he could only hope he would be able to remember who was who without embarrassing himself too badly.

But then one of the minor counselors had asked him for a game, and Nobunori finally left him in peace, most likely deciding that as far as go was concerned, he would be able to take care of himself. The minor counselor wasn't a strong player, but their game attracted a small audience, and once it was over Sai had no shortage of opponents. Back in his element, he relaxed and calmed down. All the talk of court intrigue and politics had made him worried. It had seemed to him that all the courtiers were stalking down the corridors of the palace, plots brewing in their minds, but these people were honest, down-to-earth go players, and there were no hidden meanings in their discussions of the games and strategies.

Perhaps he would, in the end, find a place for himself in this world of the court.

.

One night he returned to his rooms to find two letters from home waiting for him. Seeing Hikaru's scrawls brought a smile on his lips, though deciphering them was hard work, and soon he decided it might be a better idea to read his father's letter first, to see if it would help him figure out what the boy was trying to say. He was a little nervous, though, as he wasn't sure how his father would react to his decision to stay at the palace.

Fujiwara no Kouyou was not pleased, unsurprisingly, but seemed to agree that Sai hadn't really had a real choice in the matter – or at least he chose not to chide his son about the decision, accepting it as an unfortunate but inevitable fact. He mentioned a few names, some of them familiar to Sai, some not, as people who might make good acquaintances for a newcomer at the court, and Sai memorized them carefully, deciding to meet them as soon as he possibly could.

There wasn't much about Hikaru, just a mention that the boy had started his studies with his new tutor, and everything had started fine, at least if one did not count music lessons. The letter stated rather dryly that by mutual consensus they had decided to leave music for later, and did not elaborate. With a shake of his head he picked up Hikaru's letter again, and started struggling it through.

As he finished writing his replies, he came to think of Sugawara no Akitada. Ever since he had assumed his new position, he had not met the senior go teacher a single time. Everything remained still unresolved between them. He looked at the letters he had written to his father and Hikaru, and grasped his brush again to write a third message, to Akitada. He kept it short, just expressing his wish to have a word with the man. The message was promptly sent, and it could not take long for Akitada to get it. A reply never arrived, though, and in the end Sai gave up on waiting. If Akitada-sama wanted to behave childishly, he decided, that was _his_ problem.

One day when Sai was just having his session with the young prince, Akitada entered suddenly the room. Sai gave him a surprised look, his hand stopping above the go board – they were just in the middle of a teaching game. He composed himself quickly, though, played his move and gave his senior colleague a bow.

"Akitada-sama," he said, hoping to keep his tone neutral. "It has been a while, Did you not get my message? I've been wishing to speak with you."

"Indeed," the man said, settling down by the board. "Perhaps later." He gave a bow to the prince – but, Sai noted, never so much as a greeting to him. "Now I have merely come to follow your lesson. After all, I am still the senior go teacher, and, ultimately, the quality of the lessons is my responsibility. I have to be sure the crown prince won't be left behind in his studies."

"Of course," Sai said lightly. Akitada's tone and word choice annoyed him a little, but, he told himself, in truth he did have a point.

"I believe it was your turn, your highness," Akitada said, looking at the prince. The boy had a stone in his hand, but he was hesitating, and Sai couldn't help noticing how guarded his expression had turned. He gave the boy a reassuring smile. "Come, Hiroakira-shinnou, think of yesterday's lesson. Do you remember what we were talking about?"

The prince played his move, hand still hesitating before letting go of the stone. Though not a bad move, it wasn't quite how Sai had wished him to play, and with his next move he wanted the boy to see what was happening, to guide his attention to the threat. It worked – the boy's eyes widened and he made his move hastily, escaping the trap that was closing around him. Sai nodded, ever so lightly. It wasn't an easy thing to see, so he was happy the boy had caught on, even if he had needed a little help.

They finished the game in silence. Akitada watched it without a comment, and said nothing during their discussion either. Sai finished the session short, noticing that the crown prince was restless and not really concentrating, and the boy seemed to be glad to escape the room.

A moment the two men sat in silence. "Well?" Sai asked then, turning to his elder colleague.

"You're letting him play in rather unconventional ways," Akitada said. "He should still be learning the traditional joseki and not trying to come up with strange plays of his own."

"I find he has a very good understanding of the basic joseki," Sai said with a frown. "If he wants to explore the game, why should I stop him? One doesn't learn to play good go just following a book."

"One needs a solid foundation on which to build!"

"Of course! But he already has that. There is no need to hold him down!" Sai took a deep breath, telling himself to stay calm. "In fact, I was astonished at how good grasp he has of the basics. He has clearly been studying diligently with you."

Akitada seemed to think nothing of his peace offering, didn't even acknowledge it as he watched Sai darkly.

"You're still a greenhorn yourself. Do you really think you're ready to teach a future emperor?"

"Ready or not, here I am," Sai replied steadily. "I… understand the situation now much better than I did back when we talked last time. I never wanted things to go quite the way they're going. But I'm not going to give up this position, either. Can we not reach some kind of an agreement, a compromise?"

"A compromise?" Akitada snorted. "There can be no compromises in a situation like this. You have no place here; you're not apt for the position you have. If you have no sense to leave on your own, I will have you removed – and do not doubt I cannot get it done. Leaving voluntarily would be the wise course for you, but knowing you, you will hardly follow it." Akitada stood up with a whoosh of his clothes. "So, enjoy your position while you have it."

He left. Sai didn't look after him but stared instead at the go board in front of him, feeling a little sick. Quietly he gathered up the board and the stone bowls, put them away, and retreated into his rooms. He would have rather gone back to his city mansion, to a more familiar place, but didn't want anyone think he was running away.

As he sat alone in his room, lost in gloomy thoughts, there came a quiet rapping outside. "Sai-sama?" a voice asked. "Mind if we come in?"

Sai looked up with a frown on his face, about to ask them to go away as he didn't quite want company right then, but as he realized who the newcomers were his face brightened. Two young men, brothers, entered the room. They were of the Taira family, which had originally made him regard them with some suspicion, remembering his not so lucky correspondence with Taira no Sansho, but very soon he had come to realize that these two were quite different.

The elder, Shinichirou, was a quiet and well-behaved young man, one who took his duties at the Ministry of Civil Administration quite seriously (unlike some of his colleagues), while the younger brother, Yoshitaka, was louder, livelier, and, shortly put, more hot-headed. Most importantly, they were both excellent go players.

"We're not bothering you at a bad moment, are we?" Shinichirou asked with a polite little bow.

"Not at all." Sai smiled at them. "On the contrary, I'm happy to see you're back. How was your trip?"

"Lovely," Shinichirou said at the same time as Yoshitaka said, "Boring." The brothers shot each other a short glare.

"It was lovely," Shinichirou repeated, "but quite uneventful. The southern forests aren't in vain famous for their beauty, and one day we went to have a picnic and listen to cuckoos, and…"

"And wrote poems and whatnot," Yoshitaka cut him off with a snort. "I'd have liked to go hunting, but we didn't have a chance for that. Nor have I played a decent game of go against anyone but my brother for _ages_ , and I'm getting tired of playing against him." He shot Sai a wide grin. "So we thought to check if you're available for a game."

Sai returned his smile. "Always. So, which one of you shall I play first?"

"Me," the brothers said in unison, and glared at each other again.

"I'm elder," Shinichirou pointed out, and Yoshitaka rolled his eyes.

"And _I_ ," he said, "am _bored_."

"How about I play you at the same time," Sai put in hurriedly before a fight could break out.

"What, two games at the same time?" Shinichirou asked, surprised.

"That sounds interesting." Yoshitaka was again grinning. "Maybe this time we'll beat him!"

They got the boards out and started the games. They played in silence; discussion could wait until the games were over. They were excellent games, too, and Sai felt his spirits rise. This was just what he needed right now: friendly games with people he liked.

In the end, Yoshitaka's optimism was misplaced; though they played well, Sai clearly won both games. Once they were done discussing the games and the two were about to take their leave, Shinichirou paused and said almost hesitantly, "By the way, we just heard… our uncle is coming to visit the capital next month."

Sai paused. Uncle? Then he realized who they meant – Taira no Sansho – and gave a little sigh.

"You might not want to run across him," Shinichirou added.

Yoshitaka snorted. "Who in their right mind _wants_ to run across with him? It's too bad you can't choose your relatives…"

"If I meet him, then I meet him," Sai said a little snappily. " _I_ certainly don't care, either way."

Shinichirou was shaking his head. "It's a good thing uncle apparently was in a good mood when he received your letter, and took it all for a joke. It would have spelled quite a lot of trouble for you if you had offended him."

"Yeah," Yoshitaka agreed. "Why on earth did you ever write to him, in the first place? Didn't you know _anything_ about him?"

"No," Sai said with a sigh. "Just what I had heard from Akitada-sama. I thought he might…" He paused, seeing the look the two shared. "What?"

"Akitada?" Yoshitaka asked. " _He_ 's the one that put the idea in your mind? That just figures."

"He said he thought Taira no Sansho might…" Sai started, confused. He paused. "They know each other, don't they?"

"Our uncle and Akitada?" Shinichirou nodded. "They're old friends."

Sai was quiet, thinking of how Akitada had claimed to know Sansho only by reputation. "So he set me up…" he muttered to himself, too quietly for the others to hear him. As the brothers gave him a worried look, seeing his strained expression, he smiled at them, though a little thinly.

"Well, I guess it's time to say good night, then," he said lightly. "I hope we can play together soon again."

The brothers said their goodbyes, both of them looking like they wanted to say something more, but didn't, leaving Sai alone with his thoughts.

His newly gained good mood had disappeared again, like dew in the morning sun. With a sigh he watched out, across the city, and couldn't help hoping he was back in Kawachi, in a simpler world than the one he had entered. In the end he retreated to his bed, but he slept badly that night, plagued by murky, oppressing dreams he couldn't remember once he woke up.

…

Back in Kawachi Hikaru was wishing he could be in the capital. Ever since Sai had left, he had been feeling very restless. His days were filled by his studies, but his mind was constantly elsewhere. Sai had not, in the end, declined the position, and Hikaru could see this made his father quite worried. Kouyou had even been muttering about going to the capital himself, and Hikaru wished he would – this time _he_ would not be left behind. Something of Kouyou's anxiety was rubbing on him, too, though he couldn't understand what worried the man so badly. Sai seemed to be doing fine. At least his letters were cheerful and optimistic.

But, Hikaru wondered, staring at the blue sky, would Sai voice in a letter his worries, if he had any…

"Hikaru? Are you listening to me?"

"What?" The boy gave a start. "I, yes, of course." They were just in the middle of a lesson.

"Then what did I just say?"

"That…" Hikaru blinked, trying to remember. Something about seasons, and lotus leaves, and… flowing water? "When you bury lotus leaves from flowing water in the, in the… I don't remember where it makes them smell stronger…"

The way his teacher groaned told him got it wrong. "You're mixing it all up! You should bury the _blend_ by flowing water, and the longer you keep it there, the deeper the fragrance grows. And lotus leaf, that's the name of a blend for a summer fragrance. Now, what's a common spring fragrance?"

Hikaru just stared at him blandly, and he gave a deep sigh. "Plum flower. And chrysanthemum, that's for autumn. Got it?"

"I guess." Hikaru gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, I just don't get what's the big deal about all these smells…"

This earned him a frown. "Fragrances. _Fragrances_ , not smells. And they're just as important for a real gentleman as any bit of clothing – the proper fragrance holds as much meaning as the color of your sashinuki."

 _The only meaning my pants have is to keep me warm, who cares of their color_ , Hikaru thought to himself, but chose to say nothing, telling himself to behave for his tutor's sake. To be honest, he liked this young man, Ashiwara no Hiroyuki, a very enthusiastic teacher (though hopelessly scatterbrained, Hikaru had soon found out). He was one of Kouyou's students, and a very good go player.

But no matter how much he liked his teacher, he did hope he'd have a way to escape these lessons. Perfumes, poetry, Chinese… he didn't know which was worst.

Hiroyuki was babbling on about the different blends, currently talking about something called Hundred Steps, named so because it could be smelled hundred steps away.

 _What a creative name_ , Hikaru thought to himself. "Hundred steps, huh," he muttered aloud. "A bit like in go one move can have influence a hundred moves later…"

"Huh?" Hiroyuki paused in mid-sentence and blinked at him.

"Do you think it'd be possible to plan that far ahead?" Hikaru asked in all seriousness. "A hundred moves?"

"What? A hundred… what are you talking about? Surely no one can plan that far ahead!"

"But, you see," Hikaru said, leaning forward a little with an earnest look on his face, "I once played this game with Sai, and I could _swear_ he had it all planned!"

After a short argument they took out a go board so that Hikaru could show his teacher the game. As the discussion of go strategies took wing, perfumes were quite forgotten.

Sometimes Hikaru couldn't believe how easy it could be.

But, he wondered in the night as he was going to sleep, maybe he shouldn't exploit his teacher's distractibility so much. He had promised Sai to study diligently, after all. And if he really wanted to join Sai in the capital, he would have to learn this stuff. He lay down with a sigh. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd concentrate on his lessons like never before.

It wasn't the first time he had made this decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isumi Shinichirou and Waya Yoshitaka. Just in case you've forgotten their given names, as for what ever twist of logic the official translation uses given names of pretty much anyone except the insei…
> 
> I was planning to make Shirakawa Hikaru's teacher, as that'd be kind of canon, but in the end chose Ashiwara because a) he's more fun, and b) he's Touya Kouyou's student.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd forgotten to add chapter 18 here, so... two updates today. Akari's back in this chapter! ^^

**Chapter 19**

Despite Akitada's threats, life proceeded quietly in the capital. Sai's feelings were still quite mixed – on the one hand, he enjoyed greatly his new duties, teaching the young crown prince, and also all the games and discussions that filled his days, but on the other hand he couldn't quite escape the nervous, almost guilty feeling that followed him daily. He couldn't help but notice the looks he got from some courtiers he knew to be close to Akitada, or the whispers that ceased when he came to the place. He had decided to ignore it, thinking that the best he could do was to show them he was up to his task and not going to give in.

It was a little tiresome, though. He had made it a habit to spend approximately one night in a week at his city mansion – he slept better under a more familiar roof. There as well it always took him long to fall asleep, but at least his dreams were more peaceful.

Life was so peculiar. He had reached all he could hope for, faster and easier than he would ever have imagined – which of course was exactly the problem. How happy he had imagined he would be if he just could spend his days playing go at the palace! He had decided he would not take part into the internal politics of the court, but it was getting clear he had no say in the matter. And if he didn't take an active role, he'd be nothing but a stone in the players' hands. He didn't like that feeling.

He still remembered Akitada's threat, and though the man hadn't done anything to realize it, it weighed heavily on his mind. He had not told anyone about it, not his father nor his cousin (the former because he didn't want to worry his father, the latter because he didn't want to admit to Nobunori he had been right about Akitada.) But he wished he had someone to speak to, someone who could tell him how seriously he should take that threat – and what he should do about it. Briefly he considered the empress, but although she, his mother's cousin, had always been friendly to him, he still didn't quite feel comfortable around her. And what would she do if he told her? That worried him a little – if the empress took action, he could just watch the events unfold.

As his palanquin proceeded across the streets he stared numbly out, without really seeing anything. Although it was late there were still people on the streets, mainly commoners hurrying to their homes. But just as they reached his mansion and stopped to wait for the gate to open, something caught his eye. A lone girl, hovering by the wall, watching his palanquin seemingly in the grips of indecision. Recognition hit him, and just when his palanquin was about to move in he jumped suddenly out, astounding his servants.

"Akari, isn't it?" he exclaimed. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

The girl didn't seem to know how to react to his sudden outburst, at first staring at him with wide eyes, but then, as she shook her head amusedly, a small smile crept on her lips.

"It has been long," she agreed and bowed low. "I… I was wondering if I could speak with you."

"Of course! Come, come in!"

Sai led her into the mansion, never even noticing the confused looks his servants were giving each other. Inside, they settled down for some drinks, and he gave the girl a friendly smile, noticing she was still a little awkward in his company.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Hikaru," she said. "Is he… doing okay?"

"He is fine," Sai said, smiling a little at the blush that colored her cheeks as she mentioned the boy's name. "Still at Kawachi, and studying diligently, I hear."

"Diligently?" Akari gave a little laugh. "Doesn't sound like the Hikaru I know."

Sai laughed too. "I know. But this time he really is serious about it."

"That is good to know." Akari was looking down at her hands. "This is all so very weird. I'm not sure what's going on and why. But…" She looked up at Sai. "I remember the day when he left. Later I kept on thinking I shouldn't have let him go so easily, but… I don't know. There was something in his eyes, something different, and I just… I don't believe I could have held him back no matter how hard I tried. …his father was really furious," she added as an afterthought.

"I can understand that," Sai said with a little sigh. "I'm sorry about all the trouble this has caused. But I can assure you there is nothing to worry about. I'll take good care of him."

Nothing to worry about in Hikaru's life, that is, he thought to himself. If he had only been able to say the same about his own life. He would have wanted to tell Akari about his father's plan to adopt Hikaru, to put her mind at rest, but how could he tell _her_ when the boy's parents didn't yet know anything? He had a feeling Hikaru's father would not be too happy about this, either.

Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, for Akari didn't look convinced. She seemed to be about to say something, but hesitated, looking away. Sai too was quiet, closing his eyes and trying to push all worries out of his mind. He had come home to relax, right?

"Do you still play?" he asked the girl. "I would like to have a game with you, if you don't mind."

"Me?" Akari seemed startled. "I… I guess, in a way I do… I mean, I've been teaching a friend of mine, but… I'm still really bad. I mean, really. You don't want to play with me…"

"But I do. "Sai smiled at her hesitation. "Please. It would help me to take my mind of… some bad things **.** "

Akari said nothing, but nodded her head a little. Ayaka brought them a go board, and they started the game. Playing against Akari was strangely similar to his games against Hikaru back when they had just met. Back when he had still been excited about the capital and its golden promises, had imagined the world to be a beautiful, fair place for everyone to live in, and had awaited his occasional games with Akitada with great eagerness.

Thinking of it made him feel a sudden surge of longing for those past days. A tight feeling in his throat he played on, careful not to look at his opponent, least she would notice his inner turmoil. He forced himself to focus on the game. Though Hikaru had, even in the very beginning, had more insight than this girl, this simple game against Akari did help him relax. He couldn't help smiling at the concentrated frown on the girl's face as she stared at the board, trying to figure out the moves.

"Thank you for the game," he said once the game was over, and meant it.

"Thank you," the girl replied quietly. She sighed. "I miss playing with Hikaru," she confessed. "I know I'm no good, but still."

"You are not 'no good.' Don't say such things," Sai chided her gently. "I have met some courtiers who don't have as much skill as you." Well, there was just one, to be honest, and he had no skill for go whatsoever, but nevertheless. He sighed. "I miss playing with Hikaru too…"

Akari gave him a searching look. "Aren't you happy in the palace?" she asked, hesitant. "I… I just mean that you appear so… so, I don't know, unhappy?" she went on hastily when Sai met her gaze, surprised.

"Unhappy? I'm not unhappy," Sai said thoughtfully. "But things are more complicated than I thought. There are… some people at the palace I don't really get along with. And I would have wished to have them as my friends…"

"I'm not surprised, really," Akari said, and he was a little startled at her frankness. "You're just… somehow so _off_. I mean, not what one would expect from someone with a court rank. The way you're talking with me too! But…" she gave him a shy smile. "I think you're great. If you don't get along with someone, they must be at fault, not you."

Sai returned her smile. "You're very kind. I do wish there were more people like you at the palace…"

"At least you're there, now," Akari said with an embarrassed little laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. Meeting her eyes Sai paused to ponder on what she had just said. He was suddenly reminded of the day when it hadn't been Akari but Hikaru waiting for his return from the palace – a very frantic, frightened Hikaru. He thought of the ordeal this girl had gone through, and his decision to change everything. And what had he done, so far?

"Yes, at least I am there," he said softly. Spending his days happily playing go at the palace? Was that all he cared about? It wasn't just for his own happiness he would have to make himself a strong position at the court.

But that wasn't a matter for this night. "Would you like to discuss the game?" he asked Akari, and as the girl heartily agreed, they spent quite a long time talking of the game and various strategies. When Akari finally realized she should have returned home long ago Sai sent one his men to escort her, not wanting her to walk around on her own so late. He would have let her use his palanquin, but the mere thought had stunned Akari so badly he had agreed to let her walk.

…

Shortly after his meeting with Akari the second month came to an end. In the early days of the third month came once again the festival of the Snake. Right after that festival followed the ceremony of the Holy Light: the emperor dedicated a light to the Deity of the North Star, for the protection of the country. Later in the night long, thin candles were lit everywhere in the honor of the Great Bear, and there was a feast at the palace with dances and much celebration.

Sai followed the celebration a while, not really taking part into it. As long as go wasn't concerned he enjoyed himself most just as a spectator, though after some persuasion he too had agreed to play a little song with his flute. He left the feast early, but wanting to enjoy the beautiful cool night a little longer didn't go straight to his rooms. Instead he went out, strolling slowly through the corridors and verandas round the palace.

It was a lovely night, the stars shining on the cloudless sky, and here and there he could see the lights of the candles, like little stars themselves. Faint music carried from inside of the palace, and he hummed quietly to it as he walked, feeling an urge to take the flute again out and play a little.

He turned a corner, and a bit further down the corridor he spotted Akitada with a group of people, some of them familiar to him, some not. For a short moment his step faltered and he considered taking another route. He didn't. In the end he walked on, nodding his head a little at Akitada in passing. Akitada returned his nod and at first didn't seem to be going to say anything, but once Sai had passed the little group, he heard the man's voice behind his back.

"A pleasant evening, isn't it?" As usual, when they had company, Akitada's voice was friendly, though perhaps a little condescending. "I hope you too have enjoyed tonight."

"I certainly have," Sai said, turning back. "It is seldom the night air is so sweet, or the stars shine quite so bright. An auspicious night – it must promise well for the coming year."

"Surely," Akitada agreed with a tiny smile. "But I stopped you because I wished to introduce you to someone. I don't believe you have met before." He waved with his hand to a short, plump man standing on his left.

Sai bowed politely, muttering, "An honor to me," while Akitada went on, talking to his companion: "As I am sure you must have understood, this is my colleague Fujiwara no Sai. And this," he gestured with his hand, "is Taira no Sansho."

"Ah," Sai said quietly, nodding at the man. "Your dear friend you know only by reputation."

If Akitada was put off by his comment, he didn't show it. "Sansho-sama was just saying how interesting it would be to meet you. I am happy he got a chance so soon." Someone in the small group snickered a little, tried to cover it with a cough. Everyone ignored it.

"It's easy to meet me," Sai said a little sharply. He did not want these men to ruin this night, too. "I am not a busy man like you. Now, if you excuse me…" He gave a little bow and was about to leave.

"Not a busy man, but still in such a hurry to go?" Sansho said, amusement in his tone. "Come, we just met! Why don't you join us for a moment?"

Sai could have given him quite a many reasons, but instead he just smiled thinly. "A moment, maybe. I was planning to retire for the night."

"But the night is still young! And I have heard so much about you. Our correspondence ended sadly so short…"

 _Yes, because you never replied me_ , Sai thought, and wondered if the man's voice possibly could sound any more irritating to his ears. He truly couldn't see exactly what made everyone so impressed about this man – an overweight, annoying creature who spoke in a nasal voice and seemed to be sweating even in the cool night.

"I hear you are quite a go player," Sansho went on, oblivious to his thoughts. "And you're standing for a good cause, too – a social reform of some kind?" He fanned himself softly. "Would you like to tell me the details?"

"I tried once," Sai said, at the edge of his patience. "You didn't seem to be interested."

"Hmm." Sansho snapped his fan shut, giving him a disappointed look. "Have I burned the bridges behind my back? That's too bad. I would have merely wanted to know what it is in the commoners that interest you so much. After all, you seem to be pretty fond of one…"

Sai just stared at him, wondering if he had somehow caught wind of Hikaru. But then one of their audience put in, a smirk in his voice, "I think Sansho-sama means the young girl who has been hanging around by your city mansion."

"Indeed!" Sansho exclaimed before Sai could say anything. "And I hear she stayed at your mansion quite late one night, didn't she?" he laughed at Sai's stunned look. "Come, don't be embarrassed! There is nothing wrong with having a bit fun with…"

"Y-you've got completely the wrong idea!" Sai burst out, so flustered it was hard for him to finish his sentence. "It's not…I'd never…"

"Oh? So what _were_ you doing with a pretty young commoner girl in the middle of the night? Playing go? I think the game must have been quite different with her…"

Sansho – and all his companions – burst into laughter. Sai was a moment at a loss of words. It didn't last for long.

"You… you are truly disgusting!" he exclaimed, eyes ablaze. "How _can_ you insinuate something like that?"

Sansho, clearly taken aback by his sudden outburst, raised his eyebrows at him. "Come, come now, what is this? I would understand your anger if this were a lady we were talking about, but why get so worked up for someone like her?"

"Someone like her? And what do you take her to be? She's a sweet, innocent girl – the very same girl your crooks kidnapped! She had nightmares for _months_ after it, just so you know!"

"Aren't you going a bit too far?" one of the little group said.

"Indeed," another agreed. "Sansho-sama's crooks? You can't go around sprouting groundless accusations like that!"

"Groundless?" Sai asked. "Are they? Do you claim none of the people kidnapped, here or elsewhere, wouldn't end up on your…"

"This is ridiculous," Sansho cut him off. "I don't know _what_ is going on between you and that girl, but this is getting out of proportion."

"There is nothing between us," Sai said quietly. "But one thing is sure – I would rather play go with her than with someone like you."

Sansho's nostrils flared and he was about to say something, but right at that moment someone arrived at the scene.

"Sai?" Nobunori's voice was quite surprised. "What is going on here?" He gave a bow to the company. "Sansho-sama," he said, "I was hoping to have a word with you. I hope my foolish cousin," he looked at Sai of the corner of his eye, "is not causing you any trouble."

" _Me_ causing _him_ trouble?" Sai cried out, indignant. "I was merely telling this man what I think of him and his way to run his estates! It's simply _shameful_ that someone so high-ranking…"

"Sai!" Nobunori had been attempting to cut him off for a while, and finally managed to do it, grasping tightly his shoulder. "I think you should try to calm down," he said sternly. "I don't know _what_ has got you so worked up here – once again – but _consider_ what you're saying. You should apologize to Sansho-sama."

Sai stared him in the eye for a long while. "I believe we've been through this discussion before," he said. "And nothing has changed since then." He turned back to Sansho. "Maybe I cannot know for sure whose men were responsible for the kidnapping," he said, "but I do know that your estates operate on slave labor, and I have heard much of the conditions. Have you ever thought that perhaps no one would need to go around kidnapping innocent people for extra work force if you took better care of the workers you've got!"

"Sai. That's _enough_." Nobunori was still holding his hand on his shoulder, and his grip tightened.

"What a peculiar creature, to lecture me so," Sansho muttered. "Besides, _I_ hardly invented slavery. It's not like there weren't any slaves in your father's province, too."

"Do you think I wouldn't know that?! But you can be sure there wouldn't be any if my father could do something about it. But, as you surely know, a governor has no power over private estates." He paused and nailed his eyes on Sansho. "Now, _that_ is one thing that should be changed."

This declaration raised an anxious murmur in the little group surrounding them. Sansho gave an incredulous little laugh. Nobunori looked like he wished to strangle Sai.

"Please excuse us," he said stiffly to Sansho. "I believe it's high time for me to take my cousin to bed."

"I…" Sai tried to protest, but Nobunori practically dragged him from the place.

Akitada had said nothing during the whole exchange, merely followed it in dry amusement. "Knowing him, they probably _were_ playing go," he muttered quietly to himself as he watched after the cousins.

.

"I don't know what I should do with you!" Nobunori exclaimed once they reached Sai's rooms. "I truly don't know! Are you so determined to self-destruct? _What_ was that nonsense about?"

"Nonsense?" Sai shot him a glare. "I just said what I thought. And _yes_ , I do know you think that's a bad habit. But that man – how can someone like him be so horribly important!"

"How?" Nobunori received the glare calmly, his gaze as cold as Sai's was fiery. "If you don't understand it, perhaps you _are_ too simple for court life. Sai, _listen_. I am not interested in your naïve utopian dreams of a world where everyone can live their lives happily. This was the last time I came to your rescue, got it? Now, I'm going to go to see if I can still placate Sansho or if you've managed to ruin everything."

"Ruin? Ruin what?" Sai's gaze turned again from merely angry to furious. "What, do you have some dealings with that man? Nobunori!"

His cousin didn't stop to answer him. Nobunori strode out of the room, leaving him to fume alone.

Sai didn't sleep that night. He couldn't even lie still for a long period, for every few minutes he sat up, thinking of dressing up again and going to speak his mind… he didn't know to who – Sansho, Akitada, Nobunori, or perhaps even the emperor himself. He started drafting a few letters, but they all ended up crumpled in the corners of the room. For a moment he lay down again before jumping up once more to pace around restlessly.

"Damn you," he muttered under his breath, not know exactly who he meant. Perhaps them all.

Once morning came he was still angry. He had his session with the crown prince before noon, and he tried his best to calm down a little, not to be too obvious in his anger. The prince didn't seem to notice anything, but princess Hiroko, who had a habit of coming to follow the lessons, gave him long looks. When the lesson was over and Sai was taking his leave, she followed him quickly and gestured for him to bend down so that she could whisper into his ear.

"I heard you made Sansho angry," she said. "That's fine. I would not like you if he did." As he straightened his back she met his eyes and nodded seriously her head. He returned the nod, and for the first time since the previous evening, smiled a little.

He shot still one look at her from the door as she returned to her young husband, to play a game with him. Sansho, he reminded himself, was an elderly man. These children were the future. That thought made him feel quite a lot better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when I first mentioned Taira no Sansho in this fic I wrote that he was a "provincial lard." So I figured he might as well be fat. (And someone like him probably would have been.)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things, about the characters in this chapter. I can't help it, but the feeling that the crown prince and the princess are actually Mitani and Kaneko is growing stronger and stronger. And in the case you don't remember Nase's given name, it's Asumi. ^~

**Chapter 20**

Following that night, a gap seemed to have formed between Sai and Nobunori, one that wouldn't be easily closed. Once Sai had calmed down it did make him a little sad – but he didn't think he'd be able to forgive his cousin so easily this time. And Nobunori obviously wasn't going to forgive him, either. They didn't quite avoid each other, but when they happened to meet, one could have imagined they were complete strangers.

It didn't take Sai long to notice that something had changed also in the general atmosphere of the court. The looks and whispers he had noted before suddenly ceased, but although this at first made him relieved, he soon came to suspect that something was quite badly off. Were there had once been amusement at his eccentricities, was now almost open hostility. There was a new wariness also in people he knew and considered his friends. He didn't still quite realize the depth of this change before he met Taira no Yoshitaka.

He ran across his friend one morning as he had left his rooms, and though Yoshitaka was about to pass him only with a nod of his head, he stopped and turned to follow him.

"Morning! How are you today? Do you think you'd have time for a quick game at some point?"

Yoshitaka gave him an uneasy glance. "Maybe… though today is quite busy…" He hurried on, avoiding looking at Sai. A moment they walked in silence, Sai watching him curiously, wondering what was the matter with him. Just when he was about to ask if everything was okay, Yoshitaka came to a sudden stop.

"You really did it this time!" he snapped, turning to Sai. "Did you _have_ to make him angry?"

Sai frowned. "Do you mean your uncle?"

"Yes! Who else?" Yoshitaka was clearly fighting to keep his voice down. "He was quite clear of not wanting us to have anything to do with you."

"Oh?" Sai's frown deepened. "And you dutifully obey him in everything? I would have expected better from you."

"You're being unfair!" Yoshitaka exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how difficult he could make our lives? Not to mention your life!" He gave Sai a worried look. "You should be careful. You've made a powerful enemy."

"If you say so." Sai sighed. "Fine enough, if it's such a great problem for you, we can avoid each other for a while. But," he pointed his fan demandingly at Yoshitaka, "I count on you – both of you – yet playing many games with me in the future."

Yoshitaka smiled. "You can bet we will!" he said, but then his smiled faded away. "Just… take care that you will be around in the future to play those games, okay?"

Sai smiled his warning off, but something about it made him feel cold. At least he had his study session with the crown prince to look forward to, and as usual it did help to calm his nerves. It was beginning to seem that instead of just the prince, he also had the princess's go studies on his responsibility. She was always there when he met the prince. And this was not something he minded. Princess Hiroko was an attentive student, honestly interested in go, and her presence also helped the crown prince to concentrate better – as if, Sai mused a bit amusedly, he wanted to impress her. Of course, their age difference made it quite hard for the poor boy – though only three years, at their age it was still enough to matter.

"So why can't I play here instead?" the prince was saying, staring at the board intently "That would help me invade the corner."

"Yes," princess Hiroko replied before Sai could say anything, "but then white would play _here_ ," she pointed with her fan, "and what would you do then?"

The prince's forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Well, I'd just… just… I'd play here. And…"

"Don't be stupid!" Hiroko exclaimed. "You'll lose all your stones there, don't you see it!"

"It's not a stupid move," Sai said hurriedly. "Anything but. In fact, you _might_ be able to make it work – though it would be quite hard. Playing like I first showed you is simpler. Safe and easy way to the wanted outcome."

"Maybe I don't want _safe and easy_ ," the little prince muttered darkly. "That's wimpy."

"No, that's smart," princess Hiroko snorted. "Only an idiot would knowingly do something the hard way when it can be done easily."

"Why don't I show you the hard way, just for fun?" Sai put in, hoping to evade the fight that loomed behind the horizon. "After all, this is quite an intriguing situation, and you might learn plenty from it."

The children shot glares at each other but settled down to watch.

The study session ended without any serious fights. Sai gave a quiet breath when the children leaved – on some days, they truly could be a handful. He cleared the board of stones, wondering what to do next, when a quiet voice startled him.

"Sai-sama?"

He looked up in surprise – he had thought everyone had left. "My lady," he said with a little smile as he saw the young woman who was still sitting where she had been, by the princess. "Still here? I thought you would accompany Hiroko-hime."

Lady Asumi was normally never far away from the princess. It was clear she would yet hold an important position in the court, for she was the little princess's, the future empress's, unwavering favorite.

"Her highness gave me permission to stay behind today," she said. "Actually, I was wondering if I could have a game with you."

"With pleasure!" Sai exclaimed. He opened the stone bowl he had just closed. "Right away?"

"Yes… but I thought that maybe we could play in outside, in the gardens. It's turning into a beautiful day. We could check if the cherry blossoms are soon budding, too."

"Of course, if you want to," Sai said, though he was a little surprised at the request. The gardens weren't at the moment at their best, as there wasn't yet anything else blooming but the plum blossoms. Nevertheless, a servant boy took the go board and they started to head out.

On their way out they happened to pass a group of ladies-in-waiting, gathered around a piece of paper. As the women saw them pass, one of them whispered something to a friend of hers, and the two giggled behind their fans. Asumi's cheeks colored a little in anger, but before she could say anything one of the other women stated dryly, "How annoyingly loudly the sparrows chirp today **,** " giving the two a look, and they fell into an embarrassed silence.

"Are you going to have a game?" yet another of the women asked. "Perhaps we could join you."

"That would be lovely," Sai said. "We're going to play in the gardens, if you want to come."

"In the gardens?" the woman exclaimed. "But it's still so gloomy there."

"Maybe we still could…" one of the gigglers started to say, but Asumi caught the eye of the woman who had reprimanded them, and she cut her off.

"Perhaps later," she said. "After all, now we have to compose a reply to this." She pointed her fan at the paper around which they were gathered. "You are always so quick with your verses," she said turning to the one who had been wanting to join them, "why don't you come up with something now?"

Sai and Asumi left them to ponder on their reply to what most likely was nothing but a playful note from some of the gentlemen of the court. Asumi's cheeks were still slightly pink, and Sai watched her out of the corner of his eye, wondering exactly what was going on among the women.

In the garden she chose a spot, and they settled down by the board. Lady Asumi was… if not the best then at least one of the best female go players in the court, despite her young age – Sai wasn't sure, but estimated her to be about sixteen or seventeen. She was a creative player, and sometimes her games were simply beautiful.

They were some twenty moves into the game when Asumi said quietly, "You have caused quite an uproar in the court."

"I have?" Sai gave her a look, at the same time surprised and annoyed. Surprised, because Asumi seldom chitchatted during a game; annoyed because he didn't want to think about it all right then. "Because of Taira no Sansho? Is he really so…"

"Who cares of Taira no Sansho?" Asumi snorted. "Well, I admit, some people do. But regardless of what one thinks of that man, you seem to have some opinions that don't make you popular. Did you really suggest that the emperor should give governors power over private estates?"

"I guess… something like that. But…"

"But? There are no buts. Don't you have any idea how dangerous a suggestion like that is?"

"Dangerous?" Sai was watching her with wide eyes. "But… I think it's just common sense! Of course the governors should have complete control of what goes on in their provinces!"

Asumi sighed. "It's a good thing I brought you here for this conversation," she muttered. "But still, do keep you voice down."

"That's why you wanted to play here? I thought…"

"You know," Asumi said, not listening to him, "practically everyone with a court rank has estates in the provinces." She leaned across the board and nailed her eyes into his. " _Everyone_. And they don't want to have anyone intervening with how they run them. Do you understand?"

Sai watched her in silence, the game forgotten "If they have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, why should it matter to them?"

Asumi sighed again. "There are those who do abuse their power in their own lands," she said quietly. "And there are those who worry that the _governors_ might abuse their power, were they given it. The good and the bad – they're all against you in this."

"And what about you?" Sai asked sharply. "Where do you stand?"

"I?" Asumi gave a laugh. "I have no estates in the provinces – I get my income elsewhere. The whole matter hardly concerns me. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"So you have to be directly involved before you get concerned about something?" Sai's harsh tone made Asumi draw back a little, surprised. "Let me tell you about a girl, just a little younger than you…"

Sai launched into telling her about Akari, what he knew from Hikaru of the girl and her family, and of their everyday life. He told her about the kidnapping, and of the few times she had met the girl after it, and of the games he had played with her. "So," he said finally, "do you really think it's of no consequence how we treat people like her? That it would have been perfectly alright for her to get kidnapped from her home and sent to work somewhere far away, never to see her family again?"

There was a moment's stunned silence.

"You've been playing go with commoners?" Asumi breathed then, and Sai threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Why do you people always cling to what's totally unessential!"

"Sorry," Asumi said with a laugh. "You just caught me by surprise. And it's not unessential – make sure no one else hears about it." She sighed, nodded her head a little. "Yes, I admit. You have a point. But it makes me no less worried about you. Listen – if you want to help these commoners, help first yourself. Tell people you've been misunderstood in the heat of the moment. Perhaps some day, years from now, you can bring it up again, but now – time is not ready yet. _You_ are not ready yet. You need to be much stronger for something like this. Make allies."

Sai smiled thinly, a little amused at how he was being lectured to be someone younger than he was, and a woman to boot. "You seem to have a good grasp of how this political world of ours operates," he stated.

She too smiled. "I was born into this world, you know. Have you forgotten emperor Uda was my grandfather?"

"Make allies, you say." Sai's expression turned grave again. "Can I count on you as one?"

She shook her head, as if resignedly, but she **l** aughed. "I should tell you no. But you're such a curious one, how could I? Yes, you can count on me. And on my mistress too, I dare to say that much, though she is still young."

They finished their game in the garden that was on the verge of bursting into life, and it was one of the best games Asumi had ever played against him. Afterward Sai thought of the discussion, and it made him feel more confident. _Make allies_ , she had said. He thought of the people around him, and concluded that although he didn't have that many allies as it was, the ones he had were quite significant – the empress, the crown prince and his wife, even if they were only children, possibly the emperor too… and now lady Asumi, who held no little sway among the women of the palace.

Then he thought of the rest she had said, and his face darkened. He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all, but the next time he met his old, absentminded go-player friend, Watanabe no Tadatsuna – who at least still agreed to meet him, even though he too appeared to be somewhat awkward in his company – he mentioned in passing how he had noticed some strange rumors spreading in the palace.

"I think it must be something I said during that little fight I had with Taira no Sansho," he said lightly. "Though I don't know what. But it's just silly – it's not like I had any interest in such things – my father might be enjoying his time as the governor, but I know it's not the path for me. What do I know of how to best run provinces and estates, anyway?"

It was surprising how easy it was to babble on without even thinking what he was saying. He felt a little sick afterward, but one thing was sure – what he told Watanabe no Tadatsuna, the whole court would know next day. And sure enough, when he ran across Nobunori a couple of days later, his cousin congratulated him of his newly found common sense.

"Now if you'd only apologize to…"

"One more word," Sai snapped angrily, "and I take it all back."

Nobunori sighed. "It was too much to hope for," he muttered. "But at least you might survive here a bit longer. Taira no Sansho is going back to his estates, and I managed to convince him to ignore you. And _don't_ bother thanking me – I did it for the family, not for you."

"I wasn't going to," Sai stated dryly. A moment the cousins watched each other sullenly. "Did you also finish your business with him to your satisfaction?" Sai asked finally.

"Indeed – no thanks to you."

"And what, exactly, did you want of him?"

"That," Nobunori stated coldly, "is none of your business. Besides, most likely you wouldn't even want to know."

And they went their ways, still not making peace.

…

"Alright, Hikaru." Ashiwara no Hiroyuki looked at his student from behind a great pile books and documents. "Start from the beginning."

The boy let out a great sigh. "Okay. So. The first emperor was Emperor Jimmu, direct descendant of Amaterasu herself. The next was his son was Suizei, and then came Annei. And then there was a big bunch of them – what? Fifty _is_ a big bunch of emperors if you ask me!"

Hiroyuki sighed. "Don't talk about _bunches_ of emperors. That's not respectful."

"Oh? Whatever. Well, the fiftieth one was Kammu who moved the capital first to… to…"

"To Nagaoka."

"Yeah. And then just ten years later to Heian-kyo. Which I think was pretty stupid, by the way."

"You know the capital in Nagaoka was under the curse of crown prince Sawara's vengeful ghost…"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but couldn't they do something about it? Placate him somehow? Moving the whole capital just because of one ghost sounds kind of exaggerated to me."

"Clearly you've got no experience of ghosts," Hiroyuki muttered. "You shouldn't take them so lightly. Getting rid of a ghost can be quite a lot trickier than you could ever imagine, especially one of this level."

"But I think…"

Hiroyuki raised a finger at him. " _I_ think we should try to stick to the topic today. The next emperor after Kammu was…?"

"After Kammu? That's… that's, just a moment…" The boy frowned in concentration and took then a deep breath. "Heizei Saga Junna Ninmyō Montoku Seiwa Yōzei Kōkō Uda," he prattled in one go, and grinned at his teacher's surprised expression. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Yes," Hiroyuki said and was about to continue, but they were cut off as Fujiwara no Kouyou entered the room.

"How is it going today?"

"Fine enough," Hiroyuki replied. "We're talking about the past emperors and their deeds. He seems to have a pretty good memory – when he just bothers to use it. But it's simply shocking how little he knew! Are all the commoners so ignorant? He didn't even know the name of our previous emperor!"

"That's just cause the current one's been ruling all my life!" Hikaru exclaimed in a defensive tone. "What does it matter who had power before him? I mean, it's not like it'd ever have mattered much to me who has it _now_. Besides, I did know something! Like about the Mad Yōzei, or…"

"You shouldn't refer to emperors like that," Hiroyuki said in a strained voice. "I've told you to be respectful!"

"But the guy was totally nuts! Now, _his_ deeds I do know, like how he used to strangle women with strings of instruments and throw their bodies into lakes, or run his horse right over people or…"

"I think that's enough," Kouyou said. "Hiroyuki is right – mad or not, he was an emperor and you should talk about him respectfully."

"Sorry," Hikaru muttered, while Hiroyuki was shaking his head in despair.

"How does he know all he's not supposed to know, and nothing people _should_ know?" he mumbled.

"Actually," Kouyou said, wanting to move away from the subject, "I wanted to have a word with you, Hikaru. If you could have a little break?"

"What?" Hiroyuki looked up with a start. "Oh, of course." He got up hurriedly and left with a bow.

"What did you want to talk about, sir?" Hikaru asked, curiously, as Kouyou sat down.

"Your coming adoption," the man replied. "I've been thinking about it, and I think it's best if we wait until the time of the Gozechi dances before making it official. We can then both travel to the capital. This gives you time to be fully prepared, and by that time Sai too should have properly established himself at the court."

"It's pretty far away, but that's… good, I guess?" Hikaru said. "I mean, I'm sure you know what's best." Not to mention that he was quite relieved that nothing would be happening for months. He still had time.

"That should be a good time for taking you to the capital," Kouyou went on. "There is so much going on there that people won't have much time to dwell on it, unlike in the quieter months. You'll just make a short appearance and we won't leave you alone for a moment, all should go fine."

"I see." Hikaru wasn't quite sure how smoothly all really would go, but he kept his doubts to himself.

"There is one more thing, though – I think it's about time we inform your parents. I'll write them…"

"Could I do it?" Hikaru cut him off. "I'd rather tell them myself. Hiroyuki-sensei can check that there won't be any mistakes…"

Kouyou nodded. "Fine. Compose the letter as soon as possible."

Writing the letter was quite a Herculean task for Hikaru. He was still using the syllable writing, finally getting better at it, though his handwriting was honestly still quite awful and he kept on confusing some signs to each other. It took the rest of the day, but, proceeding syllable by syllable, he finally produced something both Hiroyuki and Kouyou accepted. The letter was sent immediately. The next few days passed nervously, with Hikaru wondering if he still should have went to tell his parents in person, rather than just writing to them. He didn't look forward to meeting his father, though – and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to try to meet Sai. Sai had not written to them recently, but hey had heard rumors from the capital that he was facing difficult times. All the more reason to meet him, to cheer him up – but on the other hand Hikaru was worried that his presence would only make things more difficult for Sai.

And so Hikaru grasped his writing utensils again. If Sai wasn't writing to him, he would write to Sai.

_Hi Sai, how are you doing? We’re fine. Well, I think your dad has again ~~no~~ some trouble with his stomach, ~~wa~~ but it’s not like he told me anything. And I guess I shouldn’t be calling him just your dad – he’s going to be my dad too, ~~i~~ anyway. ~~Wa~~ funny, isn’t it? Hey, just so you know, we’ve told my p ~~i~~ arents. They’ve not replied yet so ~~A~~ I dunno how they’ll react. But Hiroyuki-sensei tells me that this kind of adoption is pretty ~~ro~~ common – maybe not where commoners are concerned, he said he’d never heard of a case like this – but otherwise, so I guess it’s okay. ~~A~~ I just thought it’s kind of funny, to be adopted when you’ve already got parents. We heard that you had some trouble with that Taira guy? Your I mean our dad says you should avoid that man. I don’t know much about him, but he k ~~a~~ inda annoys me. I hope ~~ro~~ someone’ll put him in his place. And I also hope that someone will be you! That’d be great. I’ve been studying a lot. Hiroyuki-sensei says I’ve got good memory. Maybe. He doesn’t know I make these silly ~~o~~ poems about things to help me ~~ru~~ remember. But hey, he should be h ~~i~~ appy about that, right? Anyway, you’re always talking about what a big deal poetry is. But I kinda feel he wouldn’t like my poems… and I don’t think you would either, so I’m not gonna share. But now my hand’s ~~gu~~ getting tired. Sorry about not writing this clean. But I’m getting pretty good in writing, aren’t ~~A~~ I? Take care. Hikaru_

A reply from Sai arrived just a little before the reply from his parents. He was just struggling through it with Hiroyuki's help – the letter was, to his horror, written in Chinese. ( _If you think you have mastered the syllable writing, you should be moving on, right?_ ) They had just reached a part that made Hiroyuki wonder what they were talking about ( _I would love to put annoying people in their places, but I'm afraid that will have to wait a little_ ) when a new messenger arrived.

Hikaru took the message in nervous silence and opened it. He saw from the first glance that it wasn't written by his mother – clearly they had thought it to be important enough that they had got someone else to write it clean. It was a short message, and rather impersonal, simply saying that they were greatly honored and wished him good luck. Hikaru lowered the letter to his lap, feeling somehow empty inside.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is awfully short, I know. I decided to post it now anyway, just because I most likely won't have time to write more this week - friend visiting, and then there's Midsummer - and I don't know about next week... But hey, at least there happens something in this chapter! ;)

**Chapter 21**

The spring went by surprisingly quietly. Sai couldn't help feeling that he was still somehow on probation, as far as most people's opinions were concerned, but at least both the amusement and the hostility had ceased. He tried to relax, to return to his old strategy of simply proving himself with time, and carefully kept his revolutionary ideas to himself. It was hard though, and not just a little vexing, and he hoped quite fervently time would fly faster so that he would already be able to simply be himself and stop worrying so much about what others thought.

And though time seemed to crawl by, spring did turn into summer. Ceremonies and banquets followed each other, and Sai took part into them, talking about conventional things, smiling, playing his flute, being simply a polite young gentleman. He wished he'd have someone to really talk with, someone with whom he could share his true thoughts, but the friends he had made at the palace were too superficial for that. He thought of the Taira brothers, but felt they were too close to their uncle for such discussions to be comfortable for them. Nobunori was quite out of the question. Then, of course, there was Lady Asumi, but they barely ever met privately, and the thin walls of the palace would have hardly made confidential discussions possible.

Luckily there was go, and, as he didn't have anything else to take his time, he dedicated his days to improving in the game. After all, being an imperial go teacher, it was his duty to do his best to develop his skills. During this time, he didn't play a single game against Akitada, barely even spoke with the man. He would have wanted to see how he did against his colleague these days, but he knew Akitada would see any approach from him as a challenge, and so he too kept his distance.

He slept badly, those days, even when he spent the nights at his city mansion. He was hoping Akari would pay him another visit, and damn the rumors, but there was no sign of the girl. He would have wanted to ask her how Hikaru's parents took the news of their son's adoption. And, he longed for a simple, undemanding game he could play just for the joy of playing, without having to wonder about the political standing of his opponent. Surely it would have helped him to spend at least one peaceful night.

…

Within the privacy of the imperial chambers the emperor was playing a game with his go teacher. It was a quiet, thoughtful game, the emperor not being very talkative, and his teacher adjusting to his mood, taking his time to play his moves and letting the silence break with just the occasional snaps of stone against wood.

"It's been half a year already," the emperor suddenly remarked, just as his opponent grasped a stone to play. "How long are you going to hold your grudge?"

Sugawara no Akitada paused for the shortest instant before placing his stone on the board. "Grudge, your majesty?" he asked calmly. "I do hope I hold no grudges."

"You know what I mean." The emperor gave him a displeased look and he bowed his head.

"I hold no grudges," he repeated. "But I can't help feeling that I must have somehow disappointed your majesty. Perhaps my services have not been good enough? Why else would you appoint someone new to my side…"

"That is hardly the case, and you should know it, too." The emperor took a stone but didn't play it yet but turned it in his fingers, inspecting it. "There has never been any reason to complain about you. But… it is how the world works, that the old give way to the young. Soon we all have served our time…"

"Surely you're not giving in yet, your majesty!" Akitada exclaimed. "You have ruled long and wisely – I see no reason why you shouldn't continue doing so."

The emperor said nothing. He placed finally the stone he had been fingering on the board and remained quiet, watching it. Akitada made no move to grasp a stone from his bowl.

"If I may be so bold, your majesty…" he ventured, bowing his head again.

The emperor gave an amused snort. "You tend to be, usually without asking for permission."

"It is hardly my place to give you advice on anything other than go, your majesty," Akitada went on, ignoring his remark, "but here… this doesn't concern just what is the best for you, but what is the best for the whole country. Do you truly want to place a child on the throne? You know what that would mean. After all work you have done, your majesty, to ensure that _you_ hold the power… do you not want to give your son a similar chance? To truly be the emperor, not just in name but in action?"

"You truly can be meddlesome at times," the emperor muttered. "As you say, this is not your business."

"I know that, your majesty," Akitada said, bowing once again. "But I feel I have to voice my concern – I would be doing a great disservice to you if I remained quiet when…"

"Yes, yes," the emperor cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Your concern has been duly noted. Now, I believe it is your turn."

Akitada fell quiet and played his move. The game went on in silence.

…

As the early summer advanced, the weather remained worryingly sunny. Sai watched the blue skies, remembering with dread the rains that had hammered the country one year earlier. Then, too, the rains had been late, and he, like many others, was afraid of the catastrophe recurring. But this year's catastrophe was quite different – the rains simply didn't come. The sixth month was already nearing its end, and the rains were more than a month late, when the emperor declared that something had to be done to save the land from the drought that was threatening to destroy the rice harvest, and so preparations were started to conduct prayers for rain.

That day Sai was having his customary study session with the crown prince and the princess. It was a hot, stifling day, and the little prince was in quite peevish mood, finding fault at everything and everyone. It didn't help that the princess was lacking patience this day, and it was nearly impossible for Sai to get the two sit peacefully by the go board. He too was weary of the suffocating weather, and for once hoped the lesson would soon be over.

He noticed lady Asumi standing up and walking to look out, but he thought she was merely hoping to catch a breath of air – hardly likely in this weather. But there was something else in her mind.

"How dark it suddenly turned!" she said, frown in her voice, and looked out. She let out a surprised breath. "Look at that cloud!" she exclaimed, and in the same instant the prince and the princess were up and running to her.

"Wow!" the prince cried out. "Is it going to rain! Did they pray already? That was fast!"

"That," the princess said seriously, "is a _very_ black cloud."

Sai too had joined them, and he could but agree with her. He didn't remember ever seeing sky so black – black, and rumbling. "I think it's going to…" he started to say, but right then a flash split the sky, followed by rumbling so loud his ears deafened. The princess gave a shriek of horror and clung to lady Asumi, while the prince, equally frightened, grasped Sai's clothes and buried his face into them.

"It's… it's just thunder," Sai said, holding the little prince's shaking shoulders, but his voice too quivered, and he stared out with wide eyes. That first lightning was followed by another, and suddenly the black clouds were slashed apart by dozens of strokes of lightning, and the continuous rumble seemed to make the earth itself shake. The prince didn't release his grip of Sai, squeezing even harder, and lady Asumi and the princess were staring out, both equally frozen and still clinging to each other, mouths gaping.

"Let's return to the game," Sai said, trying to force his voice steady. "There's no need to be alarmed…" His voice was drowned into the rumbling of the thunder, and he swallowed. This storm – could something like this be natural? He looked around, hoping for someone to come to tell him what was happening, what he should do, and right then two guards entered the room.

"Your highnesses," one of them said. "Please come to the inner parts of the palace. This storm might be dangerous."

"Yes," Sai said, relieved that someone was taking control. He and lady Asumi followed the children to the empress's rooms. Seeing his mother, the little prince finally released his grip of Sai's hand and rushed to her. Asumi and the princess sat down, side by side, still holding hands, and Sai as well settled down. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to stay there, but he didn't want to be alone in this storm.

They sat in silence, all equally pale-faced, listening to the awful noise of the thunderstorm. The minutes seemed to stretch longer and longer. Sai wished they had taken the go board with them, for it was the only thing he could think of that might have helped to calm his nerves, but he doubted anyone else wanted to play right then.

Once again the thunder rumbled, and now so close the room was filled with the sound – Sai could practically feel it vibrating in his chest. There came loud crashing, screaming, and everyone looked up, holding their breaths, fearing what was happening. Running steps approached, and a servant appeared in the room.

"Your majesty," he said breathlessly, practically falling to his knees, "the lightning hit the palace. The Great Audience Hall is on fire. You should leave these chambers, just in case."

The empress stood up, tight-lipped, holding the trembling hand of her youngest son. "Very well. Let us go."

They were escorted out of the rooms, through the corridors and covered pathways to what everyone hoped to be safety. Looking over his shoulder Sai saw the red flames rise up to the black sky, and the sight, combined with strokes of lightning and the never-ending deafening rumble, made him tremble. The women cried, and he saw Asumi still guiding the princess, holding her and trying to comfort her, though her own shoulders were shaking. He felt like he should have done something, said something, but he didn't know what, and yet another loud rumble made him start just as badly as others.

The storm seemed to last for all eternity, but once morning came it finally subsided. The destruction was dreadful. Sai wandered numbly around by the destroyed areas, together with other equally stunned spectators, attempting to comprehend the extent of the damage, and failing. It wasn't just the material damage, which in itself was huge – the Audience Hall and surrounding areas were completely destroyed – but also many lives were lost. It took a long while for all victims to be identified, for most bodies were completely consumed by the fire. They were many, though, and some of them quite influential.

"Have you heard?" Sai heard a courtier ask another as he turned to leave from the place, feeling a little sick. "Apparently both Senior Counselor Fujiwara no Kiyotsura and Middle Controller of the Right Taira no Mareyo were in the Audience Hall at the time the lightning hit it. They are both gone…"

Sai walked by briskly, not wanting to hear more names. These two passed his ears without attaching to any face, though he was sure he had to know both. Most likely he had played with both. He tried not to think of it and headed toward his rooms, which luckily were quite far of the burned areas. Even there he could still smell the smoke.

Sugawara no Akitada had as well come to take a look on the destruction, but one look had been enough for him. He retreated to his city mansion, away from the courtiers who couldn't talk of anything but the fire, horrified fascination in their voices. He had the clothes he had been wearing on that day thrown away, certain that the smell of smoke would never leave them, and, thankful there wasn't currently any taboo for washing, took a proper bath. He returned to the palace only on the day the palace onmyouji were giving their report of the disaster to the emperor. He would have preferred to be elsewhere, but what the onmyouji had to say turned out to be more interesting than he could ever have imagined.

"This was no natural storm," the head onmyouji was saying, and anyone hardly was surprised about that. "The stars and the calendars all give the same answer: a vengeful ghost was behind this attack."

"Have you identified the ghost?" the emperor asked.

"Yes, your majesty," the onmyouji said, bowing low. The silence was so great one could have heard a rice corn fall on the floor. "The spirit is that of Sugawara no Michizane."

…

Great-uncle Michizane. Akitada sat in stunned silence, barely hearing the rest of the discussion. How could the gentle uncle Michizane be behind something so horrendous? But still, somehow it made perfect sense. Wasn't it about time that uncle Michizane would demand justice for himself, of his unjust exile and death? And keeping in mind that one of those who died in the fires was a man who had once been spreading nothing but outward lies about Michizane, claiming he had all but confessed his crimes…

Yes. A shiver ran down his spine and he drew a deep breath. No wonder he had never been in any real danger, amid all the destruction and death. Great-uncle Michizane would hardly harm him. On the contrary – his timing was much too convenient for it to be a coincidence.

"Thank you, uncle Michizane," he muttered to himself. "I can use this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have mentioned Sugawara no Michizane before, but in the case you missed it/forgot: a Heian age politician, banished (yes, unjustly), died in exile, later deified as Tenjin-sama after events such as in this chapter (this storm took place in 930.)
> 
> I believe this fic is (finally!) beginning to reach the end. There's most likely two chapters left. As usual, all comments are appreciated.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

It took a long while to repair the palace after all the destruction. Before any actual repairs could be started, there were other things to take care of: the purification of the grounds, ceremonies for the deceased, and, above all, the pacification of the cause of the calamity, Sugawara no Michizane. He had been pardoned for his alleged crimes years before, but apparently that hadn't been enough. Only after a Spirit-Pacifying Ceremony had been conducted in all the temples of the capital area and he had been yet once promoted posthumously in rank, did the onmyouji give permission for the rebuilding to start.

"It is remarkable how fast they are proceeding," Sai stated one day to Nobunori as they stood side by side watching the workmen. It had been almost two months since the storm, and though there was still much to do, the men really hadn't been slacking in their work. It had seemed to Sai that it would take a year to repair everything, but every time he passed the damaged areas he was astonished at the progress.

"We can't have the palace in this state forever, can we," Nobunori remarked. "And there is still much to do. It's good if we have everything in order before the year ends."

Sai nodded in agreement, and the two turned to walk away from the place, together. It wasn't that he and Nobunori would have again come to terms with each other, but the horror of the storm had left many old disputes – for the time being – in the background. It was more than likely that one day their arguments would take fire again. Sai was well aware of it, and deep inside he was still mad at his cousin, but at the moment he was still willing to ignore it all.

"It is frightening to think what one angry ghost can do," he said thoughtfully. "One can't help wondering why…"

Nobunori gave him a glance. "What do you mean why? Shouldn't that be quite obvious?"

"Yes, but, but…" Sai had to pause to collect his thoughts. "What I mean is that the Sugawara no Michizane I've heard and read about didn't sound like a man who'd do something like this! Kill so many innocent people… I can understand he'd want justice, but didn't he get that already years ago?"

"We can hardly even begin to fathom how a spirit thinks," Nobunori said dryly. "Obviously he thought what he had wasn't enough."

"Even so," Sai went on stubbornly, shaking his head. "Who will bring justice to the innocents he killed? No matter how badly you are wronged, to do something like this is just unthinkable."

"You'd make a very peaceful ghost, wouldn't you?" Nobunori said, amused. Sai gave a little laugh.

"I don't know about that," he said. "But I would never turn into something that would cause death and destruction like this," he added determinedly, and now Nobunori too laughed out.

…

These past two months Sai had spent exclusively at the palace. The young crown prince had been badly frightened by the storm, and he wanted to be close by, just in case he'd be needed. Of course, there were others to comfort the little prince, but he thought it would be good to show the child that life was going on as before – and that the game of go remained constant even through horrible supernatural storms. He actually said that aloud, once, and the prince gave him a long, weird look while the princess let out a half-suppressed squeak of laughter. Lady Asumi, accompanying the princess, chastised her gently, but Sai could see her lips were twitching too. He decided to ignore it. Perhaps with time they would learn.

The emperor as well took the storm heavily, but where his son's fear was simply a child's fright, his seemed to grow out of a guilty conscience – after all, it had been in the early years of his reign when Michizane had been banished. He fell ill shortly after the storm and refused to meet most people. Akitada too was allowed into his presence only a few times during those two months, and he could see that the emperor was still so pale and wavering, that he decided it'd be best to wait a moment before launching his plan. His impatience grew daily, though, and when the emperor finally seemed to be back to normal again, he couldn't wait any longer.

"Your majesty," he said, this time being the one to break the silence of their game, "I am sorry to bother you with this, when you have so recently been ill, but I find it of utmost importance to bring something to your attention…"

"How else?" the emperor said with a sigh. "So, what is it?"

Akitada was silent a while, weighing his words. "As you probably know, your majesty," he started, in a very, very careful tone, "as a child I was quite close to my great-uncle Michizane. I believe he too must have been fond of me." The emperor closed his eyes, looking weary and as if about to say something, and Akitada hurried on, "I would not bother your majesty with this otherwise, but the thing is… I have recently been dreaming of my great-uncle."

And that was, in fact, quite true. The first dream he had seen shortly after the storm, and more dreams had followed, irregularly but steadily. They had, for the most part, been happy, calm dreams, of the days when he had still been a child and visiting his uncle's home. But in some dreams Michizane had been clearly agitated and the atmosphere quite different from what he remembered of those childhood visits.

"I do not wish more harm to be caused by my family," he went on, "and least of all because of me. But I have reason to believe my great-uncle is… not happy about my situation."

The emperor was very still. "Surely you can't believe that just because of something like that…" His voice trailed off, and a moment the men sat in silence. Then Akitada bowed his head.

"I don't know what to believe, your majesty. But I have spoken of these dreams to an onmyouji friend of mine, and he finds them worrisome."

The emperor sighed. "And what would you have me to do? If I did right by you, I would do wrong by the other… no, I'm not going to demote someone, when he has done nothing wrong."

"Then let us play a game," Akitada suggested quietly. "And let that game decide who will hold the position. That is certainly something that would satisfy my great-uncle and his sense of justice."

"A game." The emperor fell silent again. "I'll think about it," he finally said. Akitada smiled to himself. He knew the emperor, knew he never agreed to anything right on the spot, but also that he was mightily frightened by Michizane's spirit and wouldn't risk angering it further. So he simply bowed his head and resumed the game.

On his way back to his rooms, Akitada happened to pass Sai and Nobunori. "The wind is changing," he couldn't resist saying, walking by them. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Sai's confused glance and Nobunori's sharper look, but he didn't turn to face them. "A fair warning, though I'm not sure you deserve it."

He walked by them, leaving the two stare after him.

…

Next day, so early Sai had barely had time to get out of bed and finish dressing up, Nobunori showed up in his rooms.

"Something really _is_ brewing," he said before Sai even could wish him good morning. "Listen, I don't know the details yet, but be careful. If anything out of ordinary happens, talk with me before making any decisions. Don't do anything on your own, understand?"

"Yes," Sai said, blinking slowly. "But what…" he started to ask, but Nobunori was already going. Sai didn't have to wait long before he got the answer to his unspoken question. He had been going to meet the crown prince, for their usual forenoon session, but on his way there a servant rushed to tell him he had been summoned by the emperor.

This was, especially these days, unexpected, but hardly unusual enough to make him suspicious – on the contrary, he was merely happy that the emperor seemed to be recovering – and so Sai simply asked the servant to inform the crown prince they would have to postpone the study session. Arriving to the emperor's quarters he saw something that did surprise him: Akitada was there. As he knelt and bowed he remembered the man's words from the previous day and Nobunori's warning, and he told himself to be on his guard.

The emperor clearly didn't want to waste more time than was absolutely necessary.

"There is something I have been discussing with Akitada-sama," he said after they had exchanged short greetings. "And I would like to ask your opinion." He paused, cleared his throat, seeming to hesitate. Sai bowed his head again, waiting for him to continue.

"A game has been suggested," the emperor went on, in a roundabout way, "to settle… well, everything. A game between you and Akitada. There is, perhaps, after all no need for two imperial go tutors. And so, the winner of the game shall keep the title. What do you think of this?"

Sai paused, surprised. Then he smiled, a little bitterly. "It sounds like a very good idea, your majesty. There really are… many things that should be settled, and this would take care of it all."

"Good." The emperor sounded genuinely relieved. "Then it is agreed. I will inform you once I have decided of a good date for the game."

Sai bowed once again and retreated. The suggestion had taken him wholly by surprise, as something like it had never crossed his mind, but in a way he too found himself strangely relieved. True, he was disappointed, too, for no matter how unlikely it was, he had kept on wishing something would happen to help him and Akitada reach an understanding. But, in the end, this was most likely the best solution he could hope for.

He entered the gardens to reflect on his emotions – relieved, disappointed, and a little excited for the coming game. Quite soon he was joined by his cousin, and Nobunori's emotions were anything but conflicted.

"I heard of the game," he said, clearly fighting to keep his tone calm and quiet. "Why did you accept?"

"When the emperor asks something of you, can you really decline?" Sai answered, pretty much evading the question.

Nobunori heaved out a sigh. "Wonderful," he muttered. "But don't worry, we'll have it cancelled. Just…"

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Nobunori frowned at him. "You can't mean you'd _want_ to play this game! What if you lose?"

"I do want to play it," Sai replied calmly. "And if I lose… well." He paused. "Then I lose. That prospect doesn't make me happy, but… don't you get it?" He fixed his eyes to his cousin, willing him to understand. "The current situation… it has been much too stressful for me. No matter how hard I try, it feels like I still don't quite fit in. I want to this to be settled, one way or another."

Facing Nobunori's frowning gaze he could see that no, his cousin did not, quite, get it. He closed his eyes for a moment, shook his head sadly. "No matter how it ends, I am going to play that game," he stated firmly. "And I think I do have a chance to win. Don't you remember how I did against Akitada the previous time we played? And I know I have gotten better. I can win."

Nobunori took a deep breath. "Perhaps. But you can lose too. And we don't want you to…"

" _You_ don't want me to lose?" All of a sudden Sai's patience ran out. "It's my life we're talking about! Stop messing around with it! Say what you will, I will play that game, and whether I win or lose is none of your business! Just _stop_ trying to control _everything_!"

A moment the cousins' eyes were locked on each other. "If you play, and if you lose, you're on your own," Nobunori said finally coldly.

"So?" Sai cocked his head angrily. "Fine for me."

"As you wish."

After one final glare Nobunori turned on his heels and marched away.

…

It took over a week, but one sunny morning when for the first time one could smell something autumnal in the air, the game was finally held. It was a bigger event than Sai would have thought – he had imagined that they'd simply play the game in the emperor's presence, and that would be it. But no, they had a big audience; everyone wanted to see this game. As they settled down by the go board, Sai let his gaze wipe across the room. Closest by, with the best view, were the most important people, the Minister of the Left and Nobunori among them. He watched his cousin a moment, but Nobunori's face was impassive, and he didn't meet his eyes.

There were many other familiar people present, and Sai turned his inspecting gaze to them. The emperor hadn't yet arrived, but the empress as well as the crown prince and his young wife already sat behind the screens of their own. He could guess Lady Asumi was accompanying the princess as usual, and smiled lightly as his eyes passed their screen. Among their audience, farther away, he spotted Taira no Yoshitaka, this time without his brother, for Shinichirou couldn't attend – because of a taboo he couldn't leave his home that day. Sai smiled a little sadly, thinking about how disappointed he had to be to miss this game.

Finally he turned to look at his opponent. Akitada sat on the other side of the board, unmoving, seemingly as calm as if this were only an ordinary, friendly game played to spend some time. Their eyes met, and Sai wondered if behind that composed expression Akitada was as anxious to start the game as he was.

The emperor arrived, and everyone bowed, deep, foreheads almost touching ground. He sat down, looked through the screen at the players who were waiting for his word, and let the silence grow a moment.

"Start the game," he declared then, and Sai and Akitada bowed, first to the emperor and then to each other. They took their stone bowls, and opening his Sai saw he got white. Akitada had the first move. Sai waited patiently for him to make it, and took then a white stone in his fingers. Shortly, eyes on the board, he savored the moment – the coolness of the stone in his hand, the yet unplayed game for which everything was still possible. Then he made his first move, and let the game truly begin.

.

The game had an outstanding start. Akitada's game was flawless, as usual, his moves innovative and intriguing, but Sai too was playing his best, not being left in the least behind. Slowly the game was sucking him in. He fell into its rhythm, to the flow of the moves that followed each other, forgetting all about their surroundings. His mind was far ahead, thinking of all the strategies that might be behind Akitada's moves, coming up with counter-strategies to thwart those plans. As the game went on he shortly felt the joy of having found someone with whom he could play like this, someone with whom he could explore the deepest depths of the game. He looked up, met Akitada's eyes, and froze.

 _He_ might have felt joy, but it was clear the feeling wasn't mutual. Akitada's eyes were dark, filled with something unpleasant – _hate_ , Sai thought hazily, as if waking from a dream, _does he really_ hate _me?_ – and his moves, when he placed the stones on the board, were sharp and unyielding. Sai looked down at the board again, went on playing, but the flow, the joy was gone. There was just the game; one he would have to win.

And he might yet do that. They had played long, and at the moment he had, if only slightly, upper hand. If he was careful, made no mistakes and read closely the game, he _would_ win. He looked at the lower left corner. A battle was slowly developing there, one that might prove decisive for the game. He had, in the very beginning, made it his area, but Akitada was invading, pushing, trying to break through. He could see the man's plan, and it was a good plan, too, a brilliant one. But he could also see a way to stop him.

He played his move, and there came a quiet murmur from the audience, from those who truly knew the game. They could see what was happening, or at least a part of it, and everyone's attention was fixed on that corner.

Sai looked up again, at Akitada, and saw the man as well was watching the corner, the tiniest frown on his face. His hand rested on his stone bowl, fingers in it. Looking at it Sai gave a little start – there, half buried among the black stones he could see one single white stone, like a lone star on the dark night sky. He glanced at Akitada, but then the man took a stone and played it, drawing Sai's attention back to the board.

Akitada hadn't played quite as he had imagined. He took a long while to consider before making his move, and he could practically feel the audience lean forward, transfixed with the game. While Akitada pondered on his next move, Sai's gaze again wandered to that single white stone. He wondered if his opponent had noticed it, and if he should say something about it. He decided not to – after all, it wasn't that important, and such things happened; every now and then the stones might get mixed.

But then, right when he was about to return to the game, telling himself he had to concentrate or he might yet lose this, he saw Akitada's fingers stealthily take a hold of that white stone. The man was still watching the board – perhaps he simply _hadn't_ noticed the color of the stone he was holding. How strange it would be if he tried to play it! Sai opened his mouth to say something about it, but right then Akitada moved his hand, and, as if just returning it to his lap to think on the move a little longer, he in passing placed the stone among his prisoners, as a stone he had captured.

Sai's mouth hang open, and he sat there, frozen, feeling the shock with every bone of his body. His eyes snapped to Akitada's face, and, as if feeling his gaze, the man looked up. Seeing the way Sai stared at him, shock on his face slowly turning into pure anger, he most likely realized Sai had seen what he just did.

"Did…" Sai uttered hoarsely, trying to find his voice. "Did you…"

Akitada all but grimaced at him. "You!" he exclaimed, springing to his feet. "How dare you! I saw what you just did! You had a black stone hidden in your bowl, and you put it among your prisoners!"

"What?" Sai breathed, momentarily so stunned he could barely understand what the man was saying.

"I saw you!" Akitada went on. "Everyone else was looking at the board but I saw what you did!"

"Wh-what are you saying?! That is what _you_ just did!"

"Hah!" Akitada glowered down at him. "A pitiful excuse."

Loud mumbling had broken out in the audience. Everyone was whispering to each other behind their fans. Sai was still trying to comprehend what was happening, trying to figure out how to tell them that it was _Akitada_ who had done it, that _he_ would never ever do something like that in a game of go.

"But…" he attempted. "But, you…"

"Silence!" came the emperor's voice suddenly, sharp. "Enough! I refuse to believe that either of you would commit such an ugly offense in my presence. Now, on with the game!"

Sai swallowed, for a moment too shocked even to remember whose turn it was. Akitada saved him from wondering that. The man played his move, and Sai looked at the board, trying to remember what was going on, what he had planned to do. He could feel his heart throbbing in his throat; blood was humming in his ears. He took a stone, played it, and drew a shaky breath. The emperor had told them to go on. They would have to go on. He would have to get a grip of himself, win this game. He _could not_ lose to a cheater.

But he couldn't stop his hands from trembling. Once he glanced up at Akitada, hesitantly, hoping to see at least a trace of remorse on the man's face, but there was nothing but that same dark, hateful look, and he quickly dropped his gaze down. He swallowed, took a stone, played it, though he knew he didn't anymore know what he was doing.

He lost.

In the end he still managed to put up a weak fight, but Akitada had gained too big a lead. The game was over, and he stared at the board, not wanting to believe he had played a game like this.

"Congratulations, Sugawara no Akitada," he heard the emperor's voice. "It seems it is not yet time to yield to the younger generation."

"Thank you, your majesty," Akitada said, and Sai looked up.

"But," he said, and everyone's eyes turned to him. He swallowed, "But, your majesty, he _cheated_! I… I saw it. If you would count his prisoners you would _see_ he has one extra…!"

"Fujiwara no Sai." The emperor's voice was stern. "I said I do not believe either of you would do such a thing, didn't I?"

"Y-yes, but…"

"Sugawara no Akitada won this game," the emperor cut him off. "He will keep his position. As for you," even through the screen, Sai could feel the emperor's eyes on himself, "you should leave the palace."

"But…" Sai whispered, choking. "But, he really did…"

"Sai." Nobunori's voice, a harsh whisper. " _Cut it_."

Sai fell silent. People stood up, some left, some gathered around Akitada to congratulate him. Sai kept on sitting by the board, staring at it, not understanding what was happening. Slowly everyone left, their voices faded away, and he was left in the silence. Time passed, but he could not move, not rise from the floor. Not believe it.

"Sai. How long do you plan to sit there?"

He looked up and saw that Nobunori was still in the room. He felt a surge of hope – certainly his cousin would have a way to fix everything, somehow, in his own way, behind the scenes.

"Get up. The emperor told you to leave, didn't he?"

"Leave?" Sai blinked at him.

"It's best you go right away. You caused quite a scene there. I don't think you want to meet anyone who was watching the game right now."

"But!" Sai jumped up. "He _did_ cheat! Don't you believe me? I saw…"

"It doesn't _matter_ what you saw!" Nobunori snapped at him. "Don't you get it? You _lost_. Whether or not someone cheated isn't the point. The emperor declared a winner, and that's final."

Sai stared at him, unmoving, uncomprehending. Nobunori sighed.

"Look. Just leave. Go to your city mansion."

"But… but what will I _do_?" The question came out in a desperate whisper.

"I think it's probably best for you to return to the provinces. You can't come back here, anyway. Go now, I'll send you your things."

Nobunori turned to go. Sai stared at his back in growing agitation.

"To the provinces?" he whispered. "But… can't you…"

"Me?" Nobunori glanced at him over his shoulder. "I think I told you. If you lose, you're on your own. And I guess you were right in the first place – you just don't fit in here."

He left. Sai stood alone in the now so empty room, by the go board on which the stones still told their awful story. In the end he too turned to go.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagined I'd be able to upload this final chapter sooner - it's short, and uses parts of the sequel (ch. 10) so there wasn't _that_ much to write. But it took its time... maybe partly because it wasn't a happy chapter to write.

**Chapter 23**

Sai's palanquin carried him back to his mansion, but he remembered nothing of the way; his mind was dwelling on his last moments in the palace. Once Nobunori had left, he had started, slowly, to walk out, but when he had reached the gate that led to the courtyard he had turned back, unable to leave just like that. His eyes had searched the area, frantically trying to find someone familiar, someone who could give him help, or at least advice, but those he saw had turned away, leaving quickly. He had walked on, a few steps, and stopped, uncertain, not knowing where he had been going.

Suddenly quick steps had approached, a familiar thump thump thump getting closer behind the thinwall, but in the end the one to appear hadn't been the crown prince, but princess Hiroko – one he had never seen running like that. Lady Asumi had rushed after the girl, long hair flowing behind her.

"Sai!" Hiroko came into a stop in front of him, out of breath, fixing her dark eyes on his. "It's not true, is it?"

"What?" For a moment he couldn't understand what she was talking about. Then Asumi reached her young ward.

"Your highness," she whispered, pulling her sleeve. "You should not be here." She gave a quick, awkward glance at Sai. "Please, come now."

The princess pulled back, refusing to move. "It's not true, is it!" she repeated in a scream. "You did _not_ cheat!"

Sai blinked, finally getting his brain to work. "I didn't," he said in indignation, at the same time as Asumi murmured, "Of course he didn't. But… that's not here nor there." She glanced at Sai again, her eyes troubled and apologetic. "I… I'm sorry," she said quietly. "But I need to take her away."

"Yes, of course," Sai said, himself surprised at how normal he sounded. "But I… that is, you, could we…"

"Shh." She shook her head, very slightly. "You need to go now," she whispered. "Leave the palace. Better yet, go for a while to your father's province. Lay low. Things will settle, with time."

"But…" Sai tried yet, but she turned away with one final glance and shake of her head, and led the little princess away.

Sai stood still watching after them long after they had disappeared. He looked around, and saw some people had stopped to watch him – they were standing aside, whispering behind their fans, giving him strange, cold looks. Someone laughed, though he wasn't sure who, where the sound came from. As he took a step to approach them, they turned and left, giving him still long, lingering looks over their shoulders.

So he had walked out of the palace, climbed into his palanquin, and let it carry himself away. And finally he arrived to his mansion where the servants, worried, were swarming around him, asking if he needed anything, but he sent them away.

The silence of the mansion had never felt so overwhelming. He wandered through it to his private rooms, to his go board, and sat down by it. Slowly he took out the stones bowls, and, grasping a black stone, started recreating the game. The beginning went so well, it was such a beautiful game, full of promise, and then… his hand paused. This was when he had noticed _it_. When Akitada had made his wild accusation. When everything had collapsed.

His hand went on playing the game, those awful moves that had ruined it. How could he let this happen? Yes, certainly, the way Akitada had cheated was shocking, his lies even more so. Still. How could he play a game like this? He reached the end, but still couldn't believe it. And so he cleared the board and started again from the beginning.

So much promise. And such an ugly end. He could see the ways this game could have proceeded. He could see the levels they could have reached.

Would he ever be able to play a game like that again?

His hand faltered, but went on, stone after stone, even though he wanted to stop, wanted to forget this game existed. Again, it reached its unavoidable end. And again he started it from the beginning.

…

_Black eyes, full of hate. Stones on a go board, with no order, no sense, mocking him. Mean whispers behind his back... cold, cold sweat of despair rolling down from his temples, a lonely path, with no light, no destination, for him to walk..._

…

He woke up by the go board, disoriented and still weary. The stones had not changed their shape while he slept, cruelly telling him that no, it had not been just a bad dream. He wiped at them, a sudden, angry motion he regretted even before the stones clattered across the floor. He gathered them quickly, black and white ones neatly into their own bowls.

As he sat there, staring at the empty go board, he suddenly became aware of someone in the room with him. He looked up and faced an old woman, someone who had been a servant of his family all his life. She was looking at him with such deep worry in her eyes that he had to look away.

"What... what time is it?"

"The Hour of Horse will soon be over, I think." The old woman's hands twitched, as if she wanted to wriggle them. "Are you sure you wish to have nothing to eat?"

He blinked. Had she asked him this before? "No... I mean, yes, yes, I'm sure." He truly didn't feel hungry at all. "I must..." The thought vanished in the middle of the sentence. What? He frowned down at the go board. He must what? The old woman waited, staring at him much in the same way he stared at the go board.

"I must send a message," he finally finished, uncertain whether it was what he had meant to say. "Please, bring me some paper and ink."

The woman hurried away, relieved to have something to do. He heard her steps, thumping against the wooden floor, quick and rhythmic. Soon he had paper in front of him, a brush in his hand. He looked at the paper, his mind suddenly just as blank as its whiteness.

"Would you have preferred colored paper?" he heard the woman's voice inquire, uncertain, but he couldn't think of such things right then, of all the shades of meaning the different colors would have, and he just softly shook his head.

He should send a message to his father, he knew that. But he couldn't. How could he tell his father about what had happened? Tell Hikaru? His heart wrenched when he thought of them. How he missed them, at that moment – and dreaded meeting them. He didn't want to see the pity and worry on their faces. Maybe it would be better to approach his friends here in the capital first, ask them for help? Perhaps they would know what to do...

…no one had sent him a message. It was past midday, already, and no one had sent him a message. Why? Even on a normal day, messages traveled across the city in an unending stream, messengers hurrying from house to house with poems of love and reproach, condolences and felicitations... how come no one had thought of him this morning?

It was better not to think of that too much. He dipped the brush in the ink, but still his hand hesitated above the paper, not knowing what to do. He lowered the brush. Stood up.

"I won't send a message. It's best to go there myself, I think."

.

As he climbed into his palanquin, he wondered fervently who he should go to meet. Nobunori and Nobunori's father were out of question. Lady Asumi might have been able to offer him some advice, but she was in the palace and he couldn't go there. Not to mention that he had tried, the day before, to ask her for help, and she had walked away, just telling him to go the provinces. As had Nobunori. But he couldn't believe that was his only option. If he left now, if he let himself be driven out of the capital like this… would he truly be able to return? Deep in his guts he felt the cold certainty that if he now passed out through the great Rashomon gate, he would not see that gate again.

He would not, _could not_ , go yet. He would yet figure out something. He'd go to meet – not the court nobles and the politicians, for those he couldn't trust, but people like himself. His go-playing friends.

.

The third mansion he visited. The third place where he was denied entrance. "The master is not home," the servants claimed, but he couldn't help wondering. He sat quietly in his palanquin, hands clasped together, head a little bowed, trying to think, and failing. Outside, someone shifted from foot to foot, restless.

"My lord?" a voice asked. "Where should we go next?"

He closed his eyes, saying nothing. The curtains were down, but they couldn't keep out the noises of the city. The shouts of the peasants, someone playing flute somewhere faraway, a dog barking, another palanquin passing his... everything sounded so perfectly normal.

He made his decision.

"Take me to Sugawara no Akitada."

.

There, at least, he was allowed to enter. He could hear many voices – apparently he wasn't the only visitor there this day – but he was taken to an empty room. He sat down on the floor, and waited. After a short while, Akitada appeared in the doorway.

The two of them spent a long while staring at each other. There, in Akitada's eyes, he could see the same hatred he remembered from their game, and still he did not understand it. Had it always been there? How had he not seen it before?

"Why?" That wasn't what he had planned to say, but in the end it was the only thing he could get out of his mouth.

Akitada's eyebrows rose at the quiet question. "What do you mean, why? Surely that's my question. Why are you here? Why haven't you left yet?"

"Left?" he said, forcing his voice calm, hoping it would not break. "Why would I leave?"

Akitada snorted, still not entering the room. "Don't you truly understand? You have no place here anymore. It's best for you to scurry back to the provinces."

"But..." He shook his head, trying to clear it. "It's you who cheated. I know that, and so do you. So how, why..."

Akitada's eyes flashed. "Is this why you came here? To continue your senseless accusations? The emperor declared he doesn't believe either of us would do such a thing – you should try to behave properly and honor his majesty's words."

"If that's the case – if that's the case, then why does everyone behave as if I were guilty?!" He leaned forward, slammed a hand against the floor. "Why am I left alone?"

Akitada's lips twitched. "You'll have plenty of time to think about that in the provinces; I'll see to it that you won't be coming back. Now, go. I have more important guests waiting." He turned away and disappeared from the doorway.

"Wait!" Sai sprung to his feet and rushed after the man. He saw Akitada entering another room and ran there, but came to an abrupt stop as he saw the people inside.

The conversation paused when he arrived. Eyes turned to him and looked then away, awkwardly. Someone muttered, but he couldn't hear the words. Akitada, sitting down among his guests, shot him a glare.

"Please leave. I have no business with you anymore."

His eyes were fixed on the go board around which everyone was gathered. On the board he saw again that awful game, and it was only with great difficulty he managed to look away. His gaze wandered from one face to another, all of them avoiding his eyes. Familiar faces, every single one of them, some belonging to those he had tried to go to see – ah, so they truly had not been home.

"Do you hear me?" Akitada's voice was sharp. "I've asked you to go twice, now. Do I need to call my servants?"

He shifted on his feet, restless and uncertain. He wanted to appeal to these people, ask if they truly believed he would do such a deed, but seeing the coldness on their faces he couldn't find the words.

"Do go," someone muttered, still not looking up. "It's for the best." He stared at the speaker, an old man, avid go player, but for the death of him he couldn't remember the name, just the go this man played. The man glanced at him from the corner of his eye, looking somehow shamefaced. "Someday, perhaps, you can come back, but for now... let the water settle."

.

He was walking on the streets. One step after another his feet carried him somewhere, with no other destination than away. He'd left the palanquin behind, and the confused servants as well. He kept on walking down the Suzaku Avenue, all the way to Rashomon, that great, beautiful gate that was already falling into disrepair. A shudder went through his body as he passed it, but he didn't stop, didn't look behind.

He walked on, on, on, leaving behind the capital, the treacherous, beautiful capital and its go players of such wicked skill. He kept on walking a long time, the whole day, until his steps took him to the shore of a river. High up, the round moon shed its light on him, on the waves of the river as he stood still on the river bank.

Let the water settle? The moonlight rippled on the river as the waves rolled by him. Let the water settle... how long would that take? Would it ever happen? How... how could he ever return, if he left like this? How could he ever return, as long as that man was alive...

"As long as the wings of hate beat, when will the water ever settle..." He took a step, and another, and the cool water eased the pain in his aching feet. It rose to his knees, to his waist, gentle and welcoming. His clothing, heavy in the water, dragged him down, and he did not fight against. It was just at the last moment, when he still saw the moonlight on the water's surface, when the final desperate thought flashed through his mind. _I want to play more..._

…

In the Kawachi province, Hikaru had slipped out after a long day of studying. His head was swarming with random pieces of new knowledge, and he couldn't understand how he'd ever be able to digest it all.

But he'd do his best. For, although there still was time, the day when he and Fujiwara no Kouyou would leave for the capital was getting closer and closer, and he was determined he would make Sai proud. He lay on his back in the grass, watching the full moon on the sky.

"Just a couple of months, Sai," he muttered aloud. "And then we'll meet again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so the fic's finally finished. This was quite a long one - probably could have been compressed a bit, at times (though in a way I'm disappointed it didn't reach 100k...) but of course, there's still the sequel, so I can't really say this'd be over yet. The sequel is (still) called The Untitled Heian Fic, and it's part 2 in this series. 
> 
> Leaving you with a poem from the late Heian/early Kamakura period, by Fujiwara no Teika (1162 – 1241):
> 
> On a spring night  
> The floating bridge of dreams  
> Breaks off  
> Swirling round the mountaintop  
> A cloud drifts into the open sky


End file.
